“107 Cases on Campus: When COVID Came Knocking at Legon’s Door”
-I remember the last time I visited the University of Ghana campus—it was buzzing. Students laughing over waakye, roommates dragging suitcases back to halls, people huddled under trees cramming for midterms like their lives depended on it.
It felt alive.
But now?
Now the news hits different.
107 confirmed COVID-19 cases—right there, at Legon.
The Health Minister himself confirmed it.
And suddenly, that lively campus I remember feels like a ticking time bomb.
Let me be real with you. When I first saw the headlines, I froze for a second. Not because I didn’t expect it—because deep down, we all knew COVID hadn’t magically vanished. But because it’s Legon. It’s one of Ghana’s biggest and most respected universities. If it could spread there, among some of the most informed young people in the country, then where isn’t it?
And before you say, “They should’ve known better” or “They probably weren’t wearing masks,” let’s pause for a second.
We’ve all slipped.
You and I included.
We’ve all pulled our masks down at the trotro station because we were sweating like crazy. We’ve all hugged someone “just this once.” We’ve all been to that one small party that was supposed to be under 10 people.
So yeah, maybe the students at Legon let their guard down a bit. But who hasn’t?
What really hit me, though, is how quickly fear spreads alongside the virus.
My cousin, who studies there, texted me: “People are panicking, chale. Some don’t even want to leave their rooms.”
In my experience, that kind of fear doesn’t just come from getting sick—it comes from the unknown. The not-knowing if your friend has it. The not-knowing if that quick group meeting or trip to the night market could be the reason you test positive tomorrow.
Here’s what I’ve noticed lately: people are tired. Not just of the virus itself, but of the constant state of alert. The paranoia. The rules that keep changing. The isolation.
And the worst part?
Most people still don’t trust that if they do fall sick, they’ll get the support they need. Especially students. Especially in a system already stretched thin.
So what now?
Will the university go back to online learning? Will they isolate 107 students and pretend that’s the end of it? Will the government actually send resources—or will it be all up to the school authorities again?
I don’t know.
But what I do know is that this can’t be just another number we scroll past.
Because behind that “107” are real people.
A guy who hasn’t told his parents yet.
A girl wondering if her roommate will blame her.
A final-year student scared this might mess up graduation.
-Here’s what I’m thinking:
What if we stopped looking at these stories as just news and started seeing them as mirrors?
What if the real lesson isn’t “Don’t go to campus,” but “How do we protect one another everywhere?”
Because COVID isn’t just back. It never left.
And now it's knocking at the gates of our universities.
The question is—are we still listening?