To the Editor:

As we await a pandemic “new normal” it may still be unwise to enjoy indoor dining in downtown Princeton for a few more weeks. The Princeton University COVID-19 Dashboard (covid.princeton.edu/dashboard) reports a recent rise in infections on campus starting on February 14. From 250 to 300 undergraduates, 5 percent, tested asymptomatically positive during each of the past three weeks ending March 5. That means that if 11 undergraduates enjoy an indoor dining establishment believing they are uninfected, there is a 50 percent chance that an elderly Princeton residents may place themselves at serious health risk by unmasking.

While Mercer County is seeing the infection rate continuously drop, something seems to have happened on campus three weeks ago leading to a sharp increase in infections. Hopefully the University will be able to control this recent outbreak and go back to being a positive contributor to the community, not a source of disease.

Peter Kramer
Prospect Avenue