By Oscar Covarrubias, Skyline Health Correspondent

APLINE, Texas- The first week after Labor Day weekend has ended, with many students returning from trips home, and Sul Ross is waiting with trepidation to see if the three-day weekend had an effect on the incidence of COVID on campus.

Students at Sul Ross State had such plans over Labor Day weekend as  traveling for sports or visiting their hometowns, while many others decided to stay put due to the COVID pandemic.

“My birthday was this past weekend and with every precaution I decided to have a dinner and safe fun with a handful of people,” said Kathia Pando, Sul Ross faculty, who decided this past weekend she wanted to stay safe. “COVID has impacted everybody differently and if I can make some difference in this pandemic, I will.”

The rate of COVID at Sul Ross has been low during the first few weeks of school, with only three cases out of almost 2,000 students and staff during the first few weeks. Face masks and vaccinations are voluntary, due to the ban on mandates instituted by Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott.

This past year and a half we have been hit with a worldwide pandemic that has prevented us from gathering in big groups  travelling.  Hopes were high for a few brief weeks in late spring and early summer that the nation had turned the corner on the pandemic, but the emergence of the highly contagious Delta variant has proven to be a big setback for the unvaccinated.