College administration relaxes restrictions as nationwideCOVID-19 infection, hospitalization rates drop
After peaking in mid-January, the United States’s COVID-19 transmission rate has dropped throughout the first half of February. On Jan. 10, the nation recorded over 1.4 million new cases. About a month later, on Feb. 13, it counted almost 34,400 positive test results, a decrease of about 97%. The most recent case counts mirror those recorded in early December.
The United States has seen a similar decline in its rate of COVID-19-related hospitalizations. During late January, the nation peaked at an average of over 150,000 hospitalizations per day. Over the first two weeks of February, it has averaged about 92,000 hospitalizations.
While not as encouraging as the nation-wide trends, Maine’s rates have also decreased.
In late January, over 1,000 Mainers contracted COVID-19 per day. During this past week, that number fluctuated between 830 and 950 cases, a slight but not marked decline. Like the rest of Maine, Kennebec County has seen a marginal decrease in its infection rate.
Despite these encouraging trends, neither the United States nor Maine has seen a decrease in their rates of COVID-19-related deaths. In early January, an average of about 1,330 Americans and eight Mainers died from COVID-19 each day. Last week, about 2,600 Americans and nine Mainers died per day. That said, Maine’s COVID-19-related death rate is the fourth lowest of any state.
While national institutions are waiting for more data to change their recommendations, state and local officials, encouraged by the improving trends, have begun to relax their COVID-19 protocols.
Several states, including Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont, have announced their intentions to roll back school mask mandates. While Maine does not have a school mask mandate, its COVID-19 guidelines recommend masking. Throughout the pandemic, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention has given similar advice.
On Feb. 7, instead of extending its mask mandate for another thirty days, the Portland City Council voted to end it, a move supported by Portland Mayor Kate Snyder.
Critics have argued that the choice to end the mandate was premature, as the United States Center for Disease Control (CDC) still considers every Maine county a high transmission area.
The council promised that if hospitalization rates tick up again, it will consider reinstating the mandate.
The College, whose COVID-19 case counts have dropped since January, recently relaxed its protocols. In a Feb. 11 email, Dean Karlene Burell-McRae `94 announced several changes.
Colby increased the number of people permitted at informal gatherings from 20 to 50. It also reduced the student, faculty, and staff testing frequency from three to two times per week.
The largest change pertained to the College’s mask mandate. For most spaces on campus, it lifted its indoor mask mandate. Masks are still required in classrooms and laboratories, as well as in a select few public buildings, including the Lunder House and Colby College Museum of Art.
In her email, Burrell-McRae acknowledged that some community members might still wish to continue masking. She encouraged everyone to make a decision with which they feel comfortable.
“We hope that everyone will honor and respect the choices of those who are continuing to mask and comply respectfully with requests to wear masks at events, meetings and in other contexts,” Burrell-McRae wrote.
In the coming weeks, the College will continue to monitor local and national data and will make more adjustments as necessary.
~ Matt Rocha '23
