Pandemic fatigue and holidays threaten student safety this Winter

The backdrop: COVID-19 cases are roaring to all-time highs in the United States. Winter weather melding with flu season could send the the healthcare system into a debilitating tailspin.

What to watch: Students could turbocharge that flood of cases when they return home for the holidays. The leading indicator of a steep case surge - or a blunted winter rise - could be the extent to which students and other travelers effectively distance, test, and monitor themselves when they travel home for the holidays.

Plus: Students are finally settling into routines on campus and at home to carry on an improvised social life. These past few months tell us how they have adapted, and what might come next.

The full report:

Axios/Generation Lab Poll | n=887 | Nov. 10-11

Key findings:

1. When returning home for the holidays:

• 22% of students plan to quarantine for 2 weeks

• 24% plan to take no precautionary measures at all

• 49% plan to socially distance, but not quarantine

• 6% plan to quarantine for less than 2 weeks

2. Students' social lives move virtual:

• 67% are mostly connecting with friends virtually

• 60% of those currently on campus are mostly connecting virtually

• 79% of those currently at home are mostly connecting virtually

3. At this point, most students plan to return to campus after the Holidays:

• 59% plan to attend in person

• 39% plan to enroll remotely