I’ve lived in Efland, in the (lesser-known-by-UNC-students) northern part of Orange County, my whole life.

People in the northern, mostly rural, part of the county have ALWAYS come as an after thought to local policy makers and leaders, second to Chapel Hill and UNC.

I’m scared and nervous and angry about having to go back to campus in less than a month, for many reasons.

But one of the things that scares me the most is the immense strain that the inevitable mass outbreak of COVID at UNC will put on the county’s medical resources.

Yes, that strain will affect people living in Chapel Hill, especially low-income communities and people of color.

But it will also affect my home community’s ability to receive medical care in the event that they get COVID, or need any other medical treatment.

Not only am I putting my own life, as well of those in the Chapel Hill community, at risk by going back to campus, but my HOME is at risk.

This decision has ramifications beyond UNC, and my home community will suffer greatly because of it.

It’s not fair and it’s not right.

For reference, this @dailytarheel story from last year explains the health disparities between the northern and southern (Chapel Hill) parts of the county https://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2019/01/rural-health-orange-county-0124