With the recent surge in COVID-19 cases due to the Omicron variant, the Hereford Zone now finds itself in a public health turmoil between two time periods. Many people have moved on from the coronavirus and the restrictions that come with it, but rising numbers of cases have brought us back to what life was like a year ago. 

Do I wear a mask or not? Do we have clubs or not? Are we going virtual again or not? All of these are relevant questions that we find ourselves asking each other every day. However, the answers are not as easy to come by. 

Most recently, there is new widespread confusion over Hereford winter sports. While they have resumed since their cancelation in the first week after winter break, they aren’t quite back to normal. It was recently announced that only parents and families of athletes could attend meets and games, and this came as a disappointment to many. 

Contradictory to this, restrictions at Hereford’s recreational basketball league games haven’t changed at all. All spectators are allowed to attend games, just as long as they have a mask. The fact that people are still allowed to attend games is great during this tough time, but why isn’t it consistent across all sports?  

These contradicting guidelines are almost symbolic of two themes from the past two years: inconsistency and confusion. However, health experts expect that Omicron will fade as time goes on, and with it will come the cutback on restrictions once again. For right now, it’s important to remain diligent and positive in a time where the only thing that’s certain is uncertainty.