The COVID 19 pandemic has devastated many countries and communities. As of September 2, 2020, there have been 25.3 million COVID 19 cases, resulting in 848 thousand deaths. Since there is no vaccine to prevent the virus as of now, it is up to individuals to take personal precautions to prevent the spread of the disease. Among these precautions, one of the most important is quarantining and social isolation for two weeks of post suspected exposure. According to the Irish government, travelers to Ireland must restrict their movement for 14 days after their arrival. This precaution is necessary to slow the spread of the virus in Ireland and around the world.

In order to start Semester 1 on time, the Royal College Of Surgeons(RCSI)made the first two weeks of classes online to allow students to quarantine at the Dublin accommodation. However, RCSI will not take the same precaution for semester 2. Instead, RCSI will have a hybrid schedule, with a few in-person classes at the beginning of semester 2. RCSI expects students to remain in Ireland for the two-week winter break or limit traveling to only countries on the green list. The green list only includes ten countries, all of which are in the EU. This list is subject to change depending on the COVID 19 status of the nations. Considering that almost more than half of the class is from Non-EU countries, many RCSI students will not travel home for the winter break. This can have devastating impacts on the mental health of RCSI students.

To maintain the well-being of RCSI students, we believe it is in the best interest of RCSI to have the first two weeks of classes in semester 2 to be online. This will allow students to travel to their home countries during winter break and adhere to Irish social distancing travel laws. Most health professional schools are rigorous, and students need to engage in activities that improve mental health. For many students, visiting home and their families for the holidays will allow them to relax and boost their mood before diving into studies. By having in-person classes for the first two weeks of semester 2, RCSI prevents students from seeing their families during this stressful time. Again, we encourage RCSI to reconsider in-person classes and to have the first two weeks of courses of semester 2 online to allow students to adhere to social isolation guidelines.