Universities begin considering the possibility of canceling in-person classes until 2021
A number of universities are beginning to consider the possibility that in-person classes may not resume until 2021.www.cnn.com
This gives us a pretty good idea of what lies ahead for American Universities & Colleges. Does not bowed well for a 20-21 season.
Even without crowds, conducting any competitions where players are in close contact during the games and practice, traveling in busses and planes, together on the bench and in locker rooms poses a significant risk. All it would take is one player or coach testing positive for the virus and you might as well cancel the remainder of the season.
Health Care Workers
My proposed pecking order:
No self-respecting research scientist would ever predict a safe vaccine in that short of a time period. Whatever news source you gleaned that from is totally bogus.
Ain't that the truth.
Then you should listen to the number of research scientists who are working the vaccine that agree with this assumption. These guys are working parallel testing at a rate that is unprecedented. Even the most conservative opinions say there will be a safe and effective vaccine a year from now. In most cases when it comes to nova viruses it takes twice the time.
The problem with inoculating the very young is this population just doesn't seem to get sick. They seem to show little to no symptoms in 999 out of a thousand infected cases, if that. In truth, those under the age of 35 seem to be viral incubators. They are mostly asymptomatic carriers that are infecting the rest of the world.
With antibody testing and a vaccine you could even have some safe seating and concessions.
I've just answered your post.
Liberty University did it.
University and colleges are in the same position as all businesses currently shut down. They cannot open until it is safe to do so. Don't forget; the "second spike" of the 1918 pandemic was worse ( in terms of total infections and deaths ) than the original outbreak. As a result; the schools should not open until there is a readily available effective treatment to limit the course of this virus, once a person is infected, and 2. a vaccine is nationally available. Opening our society simply using the metric of a " low infection rate number" is not going to be enough. The virus can spread just as easily with a .01% infection rate as with a 15% infection rate. It just takes a bit longer.. But not that much longer, because we are dealing with a geometric level of growth. The good news is; Rutgers Univ. has just received approval for a saliva based test....which will be faster, simpler and require fewer people to handle each specimen. That means; universal testing will speed up. There are signs that certain therapeutic treatments are showing efficacy....injecting some form of "plasma' derived from "recovered" patients...a technique used in other epidemics/pandemics. If this proves effective, newly infected people will get relief and likely not develop dire consequences. There are indictions of a vaccine being available by next spring, and "in use" on an emergency basis for medical workers as early as September. But the immediate issue is what to do this Fall for colleges and Universities? In my view, it is likely safer to delay the openings...and I don't think holding classes at home is worth the full cost of admission. And, of course, without admission payments, how do the Universities stay financially strong? Obviously, they have to reach into endowments and slow down on expansion. But this is what we all have to do as well, as incomes are cut or eliminated, stock values decline; interest rates and dividends cease....etc. We will have to survive by eating into savings. So will they. What a mess. The longer we endure, the worse things become economically, but the more hopeful they become in terms of health breakthroughs. In the end, we need that most. And if 12 months is our window...that seems bearable.
