The early November break is one of the long awaited periods of every fall semester. Students finally get to go back to their home towns and see their families after weeks of separation. However, for this semester, the situation is much more rigid. With the special restrictions of the pandemic, a myriad of questions could be raised in regards to the repercussions of this long weekend in terms of safety on both the AUI community and the city of Ifrane.
The SGA’s statement, posted in the Facebook group of the Student Community, on the 23rd of October shared that students are allowed to go home from Thursday, October 28th to Sunday, November 8th as long as they provide a 48h-old negative PCR test when they return back to campus. Therefore, some students were finally relieved and excited to pack for their trip. Nevertheless, many others preferred to choose other “less complicated” alternatives.
“My parents are coming to Ifrane to visit me. I am very excited, and I am the one who convinced them as it would be much more complicated to go back home and have the PCR test all over again.”
A Sophomore student at AUI
What considerations regarding parents are coming to Ifrane and off-campus students?
Indeed, many students decided to meet their parents in Ifrane during the long weekend. They argue that this alternative is much “simpler” than the other one. They believe that this way, they won’t need to pack, go back home, and pay for the PCR test again, and all of this for less than a week! They view it as “a completely advantageous alternative” as they would still meet their families, and spend quality time with them. While this could be perceived as the best alternative by some students, it is still very questionable when it comes to the pandemic situation on campus and in Ifrane in general.
Here is the potential scenario: Parents will come from different areas of Morocco, they won’t be obliged to take any PCR tests to enter the city, and they will be in constant contact with AUIers. As much as it is hard for some students to not meet their families for a long time, but is this really the best option to preserve the safety inside campus? I’ll let the readers meditate on that.
Another concern that will arise in this scenario is related to the restrictions that are put on access/exit of campus. It is very likely that a higher number of special permissions will be requested as students will argue that they would like to spend more than just 2 hours and half per day with their parents in Ifrane. On the other hand, students who live outside campus will probably not have access to campus since their presence is conditioned by whether they have classes or not. In that case, are off-campus students required to bring a PCR test once they are back for classes on the Monday 9th?
“This year was harsh. I got used to the presence of my family, and I miss them the most. Yet, I still believe that it is not wise to ask them to come and visit me as it would create a high risk of catching the virus. I want this city and this campus to stay safe.”
Sophomore student at AUI
Safety vs. Economy
Other students believe that the two previously mentioned alternatives are both unsafe. They decided to stay and spend the break on campus without seeing their families. While this might sound like the safest decision, we can’t deny that there are external factors that could affect Ifrane’s safety. There is a possibility that local authorities are going to open the city for tourism for economic purposes. Undoubtedly, this is extremely understandable. The local economy of the city has been struggling since the beginning of the pandemic. This alternative is financially advantageous for the local people. However, this is also an essential factor that might put the city, and thus, the campus at risk of a Covid-19 outbreak.
In this context, as the long weekend is approaching, students have been waiting for a formal decision from the AUI’s administration in regard to the full details of this break. However, not much information was given about the situation of the students staying on campus for the week.
Since the situation of AUI in regards to the long weekend is still blurry, it is crucial to prepare for all potential alternatives. Even If AUI is not on lockdown for this break, even if parents come, and if students go home and come back to campus, AUIers must still remain responsible in every situation. It is important for us to be aware of the responsibility we hold towards keeping campus and Ifrane as safe as possible. We must endeavor to stay safe and raise awareness upon this serious matter. We, AUIers, have the responsibility to take safety measures in all cases, to adapt to the pandemic situation, and to act in the safest of ways in these hard times.
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