It’s been a tough year. There’s no doubt about that. With COVID-19, quarantine, online learning and more, everyone has struggled at some point. But as vaccinations increase and mask mandates drop, we’re finally returning to the normalcy we’ve been deprived of for over a year.

In the past 15 months, each and every one of us has demonstrated resilience in different ways. Whether we’ve remained cooped up in our houses or persevered through hybrid learning, we’ve shown incredible mental and physical strength. Now, that resilience is finally paying off. What we once considered inconceivable is now reality: life is reopening. For the most part, restaurants, stores, stadiums and more are now completely open. People are once again gathering in groups, inducing a sense of community that we haven’t fully experienced in so long. 

And with more and more people getting vaccinated, we’re now able to reduce the usage of our masks—the barriers that have hindered our ability to communicate and make authentic connections with others for more than a year—and once again see each other’s faces. Instead of looking around a public place with only lifeless eyes staring back, we can once again exchange warm smiles with friends and strangers.

The era of masks, social distancing and Zoom is largely over. That’s certainly something to celebrate. However, as we move forward, it’s important to understand that there are still many COVID-19-related risks in our community—the vaccine didn’t completely eliminate the pandemic. Your health is the first priority; don’t jeopardize it just because you’re vaccinated. If there are too many people in an area, consider keeping that mask up or stepping away.

On behalf of the entire Harbinger Editorial Board, we applaud you. School is hard enough without a pandemic, and you’ve made it through an entire school year with COVID-19. We’re emerging from some of the most difficult months of our lives, but there’s still a long way to go. There’s no way to recover and move forward alone; it is only as a community that we will be able to overcome this pandemic once and for all. Remember, we’re in this together.