SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC NEWS) – In Onondaga County, daily reported cases have dropped nearly sixty percent in the last two weeks. Plus, Syracuse University’s COVID-19 numbers have been declining in that span. The decline led SU to change its masking level from red to blue this past Monday. The switch means that fully vaccinated students now have the option to wear a mask outside of class. SU sophomore Caroline Plante says that the decision is promising in terms of the pandemic.
“I feel like it has finally given me something to look forward to,” Plante said. “There could be a sense of normalcy after this.”
COVID-19 numbers have been going down at Syracuse for the past couple of days. In the last 48 hours, there has been a daily change in cases of at least thirty. Even with the positive statistics, Plante is a little bit skeptical of leaving COVID-19 level red.
“Since it has been pretty contained within certain groups of people, it isn’t necessarily the wrong choice,” Plante said. “But I think it could have been pushed back a little bit.”
While the change may seem like a sign of normalcy, there is potential for a new variant or a sudden spike. Dr. David Larsen says people must be ready for the unexpected.
“Folks need to be prepared to have large surges in transmission that might lead to behavior change,” Larsen said
There were 58 new cases yesterday in Onondaga County. In early January, that number was reaching the thousands.
