Hope is on the horizon as more students and faculty return to the University of Florida campus starting this summer and fall.
Adults 18 and older will be able to get the COVID-19 vaccine starting April 5, according to Gov. Ron DeSantis' March 25 announcement.
Students are excited to return to campus full-time for face-to-face instruction.
"I feel like I am just excited to get back to normal and see people again. I feel like, get a better education through them being right in front of us and kind of holding us more accountable," UF advertising junior Alexis Hebron said.
UF is encouraging students to get the vaccine but has not mandated it. Meanwhile, colleges like Rutgers University have made getting the vaccination a requirement for students returning to campus.
Hebron added she would feel more comfortable on campus if UF were to follow suit.
"I think that it would make a lot of sense to be required to be vaccinated just like all the vaccinations we have to get in order to come here in the first place," she said.
However, not all students agree with Rutgers' example. At the end of the day, UF wants students to be safe but does not need to require the vaccine for students who do not plan on returning to face-to-face instruction, said Orlando Hurtado, UF engineering fifth-year student.
"Making it required to attend in-person classes I feel like is reasonable," Hurtado said. "And if you don't want to, you can take online classes."
Any adult in Alachua County aged 18 and over has the ability to get vaccinated beginning on Monday. Those interested in receiving the vaccine at UF can sign up now on the Alachua County Department of Health website. Once an appointment is available, the county or UF will notify you.