The SHIELD team is now preparing for the future of the pandemic and advocating for an increased focus on safe socialization. The team explains restrictions to remain safe and vigilant are expected to remain in place through 2021.

The team predicts vaccine rollout will take longer than most people would like, to get to the point where enough people are vaccinating to create substantial changes in going back to pre-COVID-19 life.

“We are advocating as a SHIELD team ‘eyes wide open’ and this is going to be a year. It is going to take another year to finally get to a situation where we can feel like things are under control,” Martin Burke, Carle Illinois associate dean for research said. “I hope I am wrong, by the way, but we are planning for a year.”

The team continues to discover ways SHIELD can be stronger and more effective. A phased re-entry of students opened spring semester 2021 at UIUC and partnerships with aligned goals have only expanded.

One of the most profound themes moving forward has become “pandemic fatigue.” “This is something we need to acknowledge and see it as another opportunity for innovation,” Burke said. The team is now dedicating collaboration to safe socialization. “Socializing safely in a way that is long-term sustainable, is an interesting problem, huge opportunity for social science and innovation, but also technology and how we do it,” Burke explained.

The final piece to the path to success moving forward is a recommitment from everyone to do their part. “Let’s take a deep breath, recommit and let’s get through the next four months, then the summer, then the fall, and then we will be on a track that I think is going to get us there,” Burke said.

This is Part 8 of the series “A Look Back on Carle Illinois' Response to COVID-19.”