Below is a letter from Mayor Toby Barker to students considering Spring Break travel.

To our university students,

I do not count this as parental advice, as I am not nearly old enough – at least in my mind – to have children in college. So let’s just put me in the “real talk with your cool old brother” category.

I get the anticipation of spring break. I understand that it has been a long semester, and you’re looking forward to a week (or two) away.

I also know that when I was in college, I was incredibly carefree with my own health. YOLO wasn’t a term back then (is that phrase still a thing?), but I walked around as if I were invincible. The only thing I had to deal with was the occasional sinus infection, and Dr. Crawford always had a z-pack that would knock it out in a few days.

That changed for me during the summer after my sophomore year. I took a summer-long trip to West Africa. I took my requisite yellow fever/typhoid shots, and I was given a 12-week supply of pills to prevent malaria.

However, when I went over there, I was so busy having fun and engaging in the mission that I only thought to take those malaria pills about half the time. I also did zero research on what a rainy season in West Africa looks like in terms of mosquitos. So a few weeks after arriving back in Hattiesburg to start my junior year, I came down with a rough fever and ended up spending five days in Forrest General fighting off malaria. While I made it through in relatively good fashion, my immune system was shot for the next four years.

The thing is – I knew what I needed to do (take my pills), but I was the right combination of cavalier/busy/dumb to let it affect my everyday decision-making.

You are much smarter than I was back then. However, in the midst of everything you have going on, you may not be seeing the warning signs of how quickly the coronavirus is spreading… CONTINUE READING