With schools and businesses beginning to return to normal, Ohio COVID-19 cases have sky-rocketed within the last week, reaching numbers that are comparable to those back in January. The coronavirus pandemic has taken control of the lives of millions of people, requiring mask mandates and social distancing recommendations. It is difficult to predict when the COVID-19 pandemic will be over, but if we all contribute to the well-being of others by staying home when sick, wearing masks properly, getting vaccinated and social distancing, this can end the pandemic sooner rather than later. Unfortunately, however, there does not appear to be an end in sight.

In Ohio, there have been 1.33 million recorded cases with over 21,000 deaths. The numbers that we are facing at the time of publication are similar to the numbers from January. According to The New York Times, on Sept. 15, Ohio had 7,747 new cases of COVID-19. On Jan. 15, there were 7,149 new cases. As the data shows, Ohio now has significantly more cases than it did in the beginning of the year. This may or may not mean that Ohio will need to mask up again.

Since June, the mask mandates have been lifted, as well as most other restrictions. Allie Geletka ‘25 says that “the rise of COVID cases is a problem, but also things should return to normal. People should still get vaccinated. We have to make sure that we are taking care of and looking out for other people as well as ourselves during these times.” It is a very wide belief that things need to return to the way that they were pre-pandemic. Ohio is not out of the woods yet; the community must continue to work together to ensure that this pandemic ends soon, for good.