With holiday season rapidly approaching, students have to take the initiative in their own hands to keep their peers and family safe.

All things considered, UAB’s COVID-19 numbers have been low, especially for a student body of this size. This might prompt students to think they can loosen up their own behavior by attending social events. 

Unfortunately, that isn’t how things work. Low numbers mean keep doing what you’re doing—not stop. If we stop, we will continue to be stuck in the rise and fall cycle we’ve been seeing across the country.

UAB reiterated that large and small off campus gatherings are contributing to the rise in cases. It’s important that we as students at UAB and members of the Birmingham community continue to social-distance and avoid gatherings that could spread the virus.

This includes not having Halloween parties at apartments or bars. If the threat of illness or spreading illness doesn’t scare you, UAB has said there will be sanctions on students who violate their interim guidelines which includes suspension.

We also need to make sure we keep our families safe when we go home for the winter break. COVID-19 symptoms can take up to two weeks to show and you can still be contagious before that.

For that reason, students need to think carefully about attending their holiday gatherings, particularly Thanksgiving since it’s less than a week from when we leave campus on Nov. 20.

Consider the people you’d be sharing food with and being close to while you eat. If you have elderly family members or otherwise at-risk family it would probably be best to stay home as well as have low contact with your other family in your household that will be going to Thanksgiving.

Ways to have a safe holiday include maintaining a 6-feet distance between you and your family. If it’s warm enough it would also be a good idea to eat outside. As always, wear your mask to protect others and encourage your family to wear theirs as well.

These things can’t always be done perfectly because of various family situations. Maybe your family hosts holiday dinners or you have a relative who refuses to wear a mask.

The same applies to holidays in December such as Hanukkah and Christmas but those may be less daunting if you’re able to quarantine for the two weeks before.

This obviously can’t be done by everybody. Many students have jobs and can’t quarantine after coming home. All that can be done is your best.

Keep in mind your family’s health as well as your own. Explaining how you want to keep them safe will probably be received better than saying you don’t want to get sick.

Holidays will look really different this year for a lot of people, but you can still share them with the people you love, you just need to be a little more thoughtful than before.