Is the World Going Back to Normal?
Signs from the economy, the president, and the American education system are pointing towards the fact that the world is going back to normal.
According to the Wall Street Journal, hiring has accelerated during the month of February, “adding 379,000 to U.S. payrolls” and decreased unemployment. After a spike in the unemployment rate from March 2020 to April 2020, the unemployment rate has steadily fallen. It was 6.2% as of February 2021.
President Joe Biden has also been outspokenly optimistic and determined about bringing the pandemic to an end. Biden stated in a reel posted on the POTUS Instagram account, “We’re now on track to have enough vaccine supply for every adult in America by the end of May.” Biden has also increased emphasis on making vaccines available to educators in order to support in person learning. This may have encouraged recent announcements from Temple University.
On March 1st, Temple University’s President Richard Englert announced that “I [President Englert] wanted you to know that we are planning for a fall semester that is primarily in person with a substantial number of students returning to campus.” President Englert also included in his announcement that he expects “residence halls, dining halls, student center and academic buildings, as well as our athletic and recreational facilities” to be open for Fall Semester of 2021.
It’s starting to seem like across the board the pandemic is easing and life will return to the way it was before March of 2020. The light at the end of the tunnel has become visible, and I for one am eager to get back to a more typical college experience once again.
2https://www.instagram.com/reel/CL8A0lEgX_s/?igshid=1l14kh5d885t4
3https://news.temple.edu/announcements/2021-03-01/some-optimistic-news-about-fall