Dear readers,

I don’t know how many of you are like me, but each week I sit on the edge of my seat until we get the weekly update from the One Manhattan office. Last week, as I walked around campus to get food, go to work or go to the library, the previous week’s exciting news of zero new positives kept me feeling secure and confident. Thursday’s email announcing there were five positive test results felt like a punch in the gut. Of course, I know the pandemic is far from over, but five cases is enough to start a cluster, which could lead to an outbreak.

I appreciate being informed, but I, personally, can’t stand the wait for the weekly email. I want to know the number of cases as they pop up; we could theoretically go from five cases to 30 in a day and I would want to know that. Though we have the new
virtual COVID-19 dashboard, the dashboard is also only updated once a week. I understand it would be a big undertaking for the school to update us more frequently, but in the face of growing cases, I want to be as informed as possible.

I also understand being over-informed presents another type of anxiety and challenge in technology and communication. There’s no right way for us to be kept informed, but we are allowed to ask questions about it and talk about it. In my mind, I would prefer
knowing too much. If you feel strongly either way, please write back to us, let us know how you feel!

I take my precautions — wear my mask, sanitize my hands excessively, avoid touching my face, etc. — and I’m confident that so many of you are doing the same. You can’t stop yourself from getting this virus if you get exposed, but you can control your exposure, so as always I urge you to please be careful.

Sincerely,

Gabriella DePinho,

Editor-in-Chief