As the world halts and lives are changed because of the onset of the worldwide pandemic of the COVID-19 virus, many students worry about the changes that are happening at Sonoma State University and in the state of California.

According to the California Department of Public Health, California has conducted around 25,200 tests for COVID-19 and reported 1,224 positive cases and 23 deaths relating to the disease as of Sunday, March 22. 

On March 19th, the Governor of California, Gavin Newsom, declared a shelter-in-place order that required all citizens of California to stay home unless fulfilling critical duties or jobs. Although the order remains in effect, essential services will remain open such as pharmacies, gas stations, food-related businesses and stores, banks, laundromats, and essential state and local government programs and services.

Sonoma State is working to minimize social gatherings and contact by moving all classes online for the remainder of the Spring 2020 semester and postponing all major social events. SSU will also be locking down most of its buildings except the first floor of the student center, resident halls, and the student health center.

In an email to students, Dr. Gregory Sawyer and Joyce Lopes explained, “While the Residential Community will remain open, we strongly encourage all campus residents to move to the safety of their primary non-campus residence. We realize this may not be possible for some of our residents, and please know you will continue to have a home at SSU.”

Still, many students are left wondering what all this means, and with an onslaught of misinformation and fear, it can be difficult to know where to get accurate information, and this world-wide pandemic is also inciting anxiety and stress in some students and faculty. 

Government and official websites can help provide relatively unbiased and reliable sources. The Center for Disease Control website, https://www.cdc.gov/,  can help students understand what’s happening at a federal level. . For state-level information, students can go to the California Department of Public Health’s website at https://www.cdph.ca.gov/. Finally, for Seawolves looking for Sonoma State’s COVID-19 related information, they can find it all at https://covid19.sonoma.edu/. 

The best things that Sonoma State Students can do right now is practice social distancing, maintain good hygiene, and stay calm. 

The CDC stated, ”The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may be stressful for people. Fear and anxiety about a disease can be overwhelming and cause strong emotions in adults and children. Coping with stress will make you, the people you care about, and your community stronger.”

The Counseling Psychological Services is attempting to move sessions online, and starting on Wednesday, March 25 at 8 a.m. CAPS will be available to take phone calls at (707) 664-2153. Their website, https://web.sonoma.edu/counselingctr/resources.html, has many tips on how to handle stress and anxiety relating to COVID-19, and how to identify if students are feeling distressed. 

In regards to classes going online, it appears most classes will be conducted over either Canvas or Zoom. However, students must be frequently checking their emails and canvas for updates from their teachers.

If students do not have access to the technology needed for online classes, laptops and other equipment may be loaned out to the student from the library. However, the library will close for the rest of the semester starting Wednesday, March 25 at 5 p.m., so it’s imperative that students without the necessary technology go pick up materials from the library before then.