Graphic by Yujin Kim ’23/The Choate News
After the mask mandate on the Choate campus was lifted in an effort to return to a “new normal,” there was a sudden spike in Covid-19 cases on campus, forcing the community to adjust many of its events accordingly to minimize the spread of the virus. Many of the students infected with the virus were required to use their backup plan for where they would reside while quarantining. Since the Health Center was nearly at full capacity due to the unexpected increase in student illness, many challenges arose for those who contracted Covid-19.
According to Medical Director Dr. Miriam Cohen, the Health Center asked all students to have an emergency plan for where they could complete their isolation off-campus if they tested positive for Covid-19. She noted, “Most students either go home or go to a local relative or family friend. Those who have no place to go stay here in the Health Center. Prior to the long weekend, we needed to expand to Sally Hart Lodge to provide isolation spaces for our students.”
Unfortunately, the Health Center could not anticipate the number of students who needed to stay on campus. When asked whether or not she believed the Health Center was prepared to handle the 95 cases of Covid-19 after the mandate was lifted, Dr. Cohen stated, “That’s a complicated question to answer. I do believe that we did a good job of managing all the students. It’s hard to say that we were prepared because I didn’t foresee that we would see that many students [with Covid-19] at this point in the pandemic on campus. I think we were prepared from a resource standpoint, but we didn’t feel mentally prepared.”
The idea of a “new normal” has become a pressure point for the Choate community. Aside from what has been newly defined for the class day and extracurricular activities, the “new normal” definition also applies to how Covid-19 is stigmatized around campus. Some students feel ashamed for contracting the virus and having to miss classes and potentially infecting other students despite their limited control over the situtation. “It felt terrible at first. I was scared of getting my parents sick, and I felt guilty for having gotten sick,” said Marialba Gallegos ’25. Many students who tested positive for the virus expressed similar sentiments, with multiple students trying to hide the fact that they had tested positive for Covid-19.
Dr. Cohen said, “I think our ‘new normal’ includes times when we may need to temporarily reinstate the mask mandate. So yes, I think this is our ‘new normal.’ There are times we will need to mask to remain safe and times when masks can be optional depending on one’s own choices.” Gallegos agreed, “I think that we have more or less reached a ‘new normal,’ and I think the administration does a good job in accommodating that. I think we also need to give the students credit for being so adaptable.”
Quinn Farmer ’25 expressed both praise for the Choate Health department and criticism towards their all-or-nothing mentality. She said, “The Choate Health administration has done a really good job overall, but there is room to improve.” Elaborating on the fact that the virus has been present for over three years and will most likely continue to affect operations around the world, she noted, “[The Health Center] has this very interesting reaction where they either flip totally one way and it’s a total disaster if you get Covid, or it’s just like a cold. They need to find a middle ground.”
As both the School and health officials across the nation scramble to find a balanced response towards the pandemic, in this new era of masking and sanitizing, for the Choate community, it appears that flexibility is key to attain the “new normal.”
