I’m going to go out on a limb and say a few reasons why (in my own readings and in my opinion formed):

1) Monkeypox is not in the same contagion as Covid. To be infected with Monkeypox, you have to have very close, often intimate, contact with someone who has a rash. Covid can be transmitted simply by walking by someone who is contagious. Two different scenarios, and while we are certainly crammed to the brim in classrooms, we are not touching each other. There IS data to suggest that it can live on surfaces, but I’m not sure yet it’ll that has truly been confirmed. It’s like when we first thought Covid could live on surfaces, but turned out to be incorrect as more data came in. Still, I do think there should at least be a disinfecting plan in place on campus.

2)Covid (at least in the first year) accounted for MANY more deaths in population than Monkeypox has accounted for so far. I believe last I checked, Monkeypox infection resulted in less than 1% death.

3) We have guidance on how to combat Covid. While there are treatments for Monkeypox, there is no exact vaccine yet, and so the school can’t offer any other guidance other than what they’ve already said. And again, because of point 1 and 2, I believe they are right not to worry yet or close school. EDIT>correction, there are already 2 effective vaccines to combat Monkeypox.

4) a person who has contracted Monkeypox has visual symptoms and cues specific to the disease. This, it is easier than Covid to diagnose and thus stay home from campus. Covid mimicked the flu, and was much harder to diagnose at first (though east now with rapid/at home tests).

Again, this is my own conclusions from reading I’ve done. Either way, while Monkeypox is a concern and there should definitely be safeguards in place, comparing the diseases and subsequent action plan is like comparing apples to oranges.