At the start of the semester, the pandemic appeared manageable. It wasn’t ideal, but it seemed everyone had agreed to do whatever it took to limit COVID-19’s spread so that we could remain on campus.

St. Thomas’ case numbers were declining approaching midterms, but following fall break and Halloween, confirmed cases surged. Then, the next week, cases peaked once again. However, the rise in COVID-19 is not exclusive to St. Thomas.

Across the United States, cases continue to rise. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, starting Nov. 4, many days have seen over 100,000 new cases confirmed. On Nov. 12 alone, 194,610 new cases were confirmed.

The extreme rise has led to major cities and states reimposing some restrictions from the early quarantine days. For example, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has ordered bars, restaurants and fitness centers to close for a four week period. Social gatherings have also been limited, or eliminated essentially, to individual households.

Colleges across the country are sending students home for Thanksgiving and having them stay there. At St. Thomas, campus will remain open with class options up to professors’ discretion. Students are encouraged to stay on campus for Thanksgiving break and finish out the semester, or if they decide to go home and travel for break, they are advised to remain there. The university provided free asymptomatic COVID-19 saliva tests on Nov. 18 and 19, and another campus-wide testing event will be available after break.

The university, like many colleges and cities, is taking the pandemic seriously, with health and safety as the priority. However, this doesn’t lessen the difficulty of students’ decisions.

At this point, the question resides in what we value or in what we need more. For some, the priority is seeing their families for the Thanksgiving holiday. For some, it’s continuing in-person classes or staying on campus. For many, they’d try for both.

But we can’t have it all, right now.

It seems foolish to say that. We haven’t had normal since March. We haven’t “had it all” for nearly a year, and unfortunately, it’s not exactly getting better.

On top of that, it seems foolish to even celebrate holidays. Thanksgiving, as a holiday centered on being grateful, doesn’t quite feel right. The world has lost so much this year.

Many families, if not most, will not be able to celebrate like normal. Some university students cannot travel home for break. Extended family cannot gather together. Nearly 250,000 Americans have died.

Perhaps, Thanksgiving is just what we need: a day to recognize the good we do have and the good that remains.

Vaccines are on the way. Health care workers, and eventually the public, will get a little extra protection.

Online or in-person, schools are finding ways to remain in session.

2021 is on the horizon. Of course, many of 2020’s problems won’t disappear at the turn of midnight, but maybe we can shake the bad vibes of this past year.

I hope that this far into the pandemic we are all on the same page. That is, we want the best for all people—for all’s safety and health. It’s a tough decision to pick between home and family or school, and it certainly is tough to keep an eye on the future when we’ve been living day to day for so long.

Though, the restrictions are for the best. Without going into a full-blown lockdown again, it seems to be the best we can do.

Maddie Peters can be reached at pete9542@stthomas.edu.