Yesterday I visited Duke University with a friend to check out the Duke Gardens, the chapel, the campus and the buildings where he spent his college years. At the entrance to every building were signs saying “Masks are strongly encouraged“. Taped on the doors of the offices and classrooms were signs saying, “Social distancing is required. 6 feet away…“. Signs saying ” Masks Required” were also taped on the windshields of campus buses. There were pump containers of hand sanitizer at the entrance of every building, but every one I saw was completely empty.
As we walked around, I saw hundreds of families, students, staff and visitors. Nobody was social distancing. A few people wore fabric face masks, mostly staff (despite the fact that by now everyone knows that fabric mace masks are nearly 100% ineffective in preventing Covid). Nobody wore an N95.
It was a farcical charade.
I checked out Duke’s website to see their official Covid policy. On their website they state that “During the last 18 months, we have seen immunity through vaccination or natural infection increase to about 90-95 percent of our population.”
Um yeah.
So why the signs mandating masking and social distancing requirements that are not being followed anyway?
It seems silly to me.
If I had to guess, I’d predict that the signs will come down over the summer.
Duke is a well known college with a nationally recognized medical school and health care system. I can understand following masking and distancing protocols within hospitals and around compromised/vulnerable patients. Or at least I could understand it if people wore effective masks (N95s), fitted properly and not hanging below their noses.
But around the dorms and classrooms?
It’s yet another display of magical thinking. Somebody, somewhere thinks this might be helpful or prevent a lawsuit or display the college’s “concern”. But for the majority of people with common sense, we all see it for what it is.
Silly.