The sun has risen on a new day at Wake Forest University.

COVID-19 cases have receded, students are departing from quarantining in dreary hotel rooms and campus is beginning to buzz with life once again. At long last, we can enjoy the company of one fellow Demon Deacon in the dining halls, study in the library and even get back to working out in the gym. With the upcoming removal of the statewide North Carolina curfew, Wake Forest may have finally stumbled upon the patch of good luck it so desperately needed.

But good luck doesn’t derive spontaneously. It is the smart decisions made by our student body during the past few weeks that have resulted in the lifting of some of these restrictions. By choosing not to attend parties, being diligent about mask-wearing and practicing social-distancing, we have each made a difference.

It is for these reasons that we would like to extend sentiments of gratitude and congratulations to the Wake Forest student body. Unquestionably, the last few weeks have been stressful and challenging to navigate. Neither students, faculty members nor administrators were prepared for the rapid surge in COVID-19 cases we experienced, but even after facing so much adversity, we have managed to weather the storm and allow this semester to continue in person. Kudos to the administrators who worked tirelessly to find solutions to complicated problems on the fly and ensure the safety of all within the Wake Forest community.

We all deserve a pat on the back after the long string of doomsday announcements and strongly-worded emails that flooded our inboxes. Let’s all take a moment to enjoy this one.

Here at the Old Gold & Black, the lifting of campus restrictions means that we’ve returned to publishing a print edition after a two-week-too-long hiatus. While we did our best to keep you all updated and informed by publishing pieces on our website in the interim, we’re thrilled to have regained our identity as a dual-threat publication. You have our word that we’ll continue to serve as a newspaper created by and for the students of Wake Forest University.

Nevertheless, it’s imperative that we keep in mind that our work remains unfinished. Now is not the time to become complacent — we cannot allow the virus to infiltrate our community again. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, we’ll keep encouraging you all to remain diligent in your mask-wearing and social-distancing practices.

These are the cornerstones of our defense against the virus, and hopefully someday soon we won’t need them as much. For now, however, hold the line and keep the faith.