Yea pretty much. However, I would extend that to off campus students as well because as soon as someone has a really severe case (or dies) then we will probably all be sent home.
Also it's not just bars or parties. You also have to worry about other gatherings. If people don't where masks and social distance those can become a problem as well. However, so far people have been mostly responsible with other on campus gatherings.
Technically it could work if they keep distance and wear masks, but as it looks like this has proven to be pretty difficult for people aged 20-30 so far, mostly because the impact of COVID for them is fairly low.
Or it may work because there’s close to zero chance of dying for college students, and we have far more immune people now than we did back in the spring. Sweden’s numbers are looking very interesting right now.
College students can easily spread it to vulnerable populations.
1. Some live at home.
2. Some will go shopping. Some in places without mask mandates.
3. Older professors and staff (custodial, food services, advisors) will be pressured to work (you probably can't just say "I'm not teaching" without quitting).
4. Some may need to use public transit to get to the school. Again also in some places without mask mandates.
5. And of course, some students are vulnerable. Many schools are not allowing remote work when they open.
Add in dorms being super spreader environments and you've got disasters waiting to happen.
There are a lot fewer people to spread it to now than there was in March.
The USA is over 5M confirmed cases now. The CDC estimates that the true infection count is 6x-24x that. So on the order of 30M - 120M Americans have already had it now.
The distribution is uneven. Places that hadn't gotten hit are getting hit now. But on average we are likely close to herd immunity.
This is no longer an exponential thing here. We can't have an OOM more cases. It's mathematically impossible. The worst is over (again, on average). I don't think we explicitly tried to follow a herd immunity strategy but that is what ended up happening.
but is that reason good enough to take away everyone's right to go to college?
here is where personal responsibility comes into play. If you are concerned stay home. The university and laws should support you.
But the solution is not to punish everyone else, that won't work long term. The sooner people realize that the better. Limiting and collectively taking away people's rights will cause far more trouble long term.
Also it's not just bars or parties. You also have to worry about other gatherings. If people don't where masks and social distance those can become a problem as well. However, so far people have been mostly responsible with other on campus gatherings.