By Rachel Galatis
When the call came that they might have been exposed to the Coronavirus, three roommates were a bit nervous.
“It was honestly the most stressful day of my life. They asked all sorts of contact tracing questions. They called all of us, health services and Res Life, and asked if we could go home,” Sophomore, Amanda Urban, said.
The trio, who eventually tested negative, had high praise for how the college helped them and handled their ordeal.
“They checked on us mentally and brought us stuff. They were accommodating of the situation; Res Life really wanted to prioritize our mental health,” Urban said.
While the three roommates isolated in a suite, the college has isolation and quarantine rooms in different areas on campus for those who have symptoms or tested positive in order to keep the virus from spreading.
“Quarantine” rooms are designed to keep an individual who has been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 away from others, while “isolation” rooms are occupied by those who have contracted the virus. Those in quarantine may share a bathroom.
Pauline Dobrowski, the Vice President of Student Affairs, said only one student who tested positive had to be isolated on campus, while the rest chose to isolate at home. If a student would rather isolate at home, they must not take public transportation to get there or live with a family member who has an impairment.
“In isolation, the student cannot leave their room and they are supposed to maintain communication with various folks on campus, engage in classes, but we also want you to get better,” she said.
In the school’s “Returning to Campus” plan, it encourages students to have a “Covid bag” packed and ready to go at all times so that if someone must go into quarantine or isolation, they can leave their residential room as quickly as possible. Some of the items in the bag should be a toothbrush, about two weeks' worth of clothes, and a cell phone charger.
Dobrowski also said that those in quarantine should only leave their room when they must use the bathroom, or when they get a second test, which is typically on the fifth day of isolation.
Twenty-four hours after a student is removed from their room, facilities members will go in and thoroughly clean it.
The school has increased the amount of cleaning done within the residence halls. Machines are now used to spray common surfaces with sanitizer, such as showers stalls, sinks, and bathtubs. These disinfecting machines are also used in all the buildings on campus to spray tables and common seating areas.
Experts say that the cleaning products that are the most effective at killing the virus are: rubbing alcohol with a percentage of 60 or higher, sanitizing spray or gel, and Lysol disinfecting wipes. Students are expected to wipe down surfaces with these products after usage.
Dobrowski praised students for following the rules and keeping everyone safe.
“We have been pleased and grateful that students have been compliant with getting their tests on campus and practice protocols on campus,” she said.
Even as students are following the protocols, the school is taking no shortcuts when it comes to the health and safety on campus.
The school’s Director of Media and Communications, Martin McGovern, said if a student is experiencing any Covid-like symptoms, such as stomach pain or nausea, they must immediately go to the testing center and isolate until the negative result is received.
“In these cases, a negative test will suspend the need for isolation and Health Services will continue treating the student for the symptoms they are experiencing,” he said.
Health services remain in contact with the students on a day-to-day basis throughout their entire isolation or quarantine process to ensure that the students are doing well both mentally and physically.
If a test comes back “invalid,” McGovern said that the Broad Institute Laboratory was not able to process it, and the student must return to the testing center as soon as possible to receive another test. Unless experiencing symptoms, students do not have to isolate during this time.
Contact tracing is used to reach those who have come within six feet of someone who has contracted the virus.
“The College’s commitment to the contact tracing process allows us to directly enter information into the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ database, called MAVEN, and to work directly with the CTC to ensure accurate reporting of data,” McGovern said.
During the second week on campus, one student who contracted the virus went into isolation right away. Contact tracing forced three roommates who encountered the person to quarantine for two weeks to ensure that the virus would not spread.
Amanda Urban, Ariel Goharzadeh, and Jacqueline Errera, wound up in precautionary quarantine in a suite-style room in Du Lac residence hall where they each had their own room but shared a bathroom after tracing showed they came in contact with someone who tested positive.
Since the three students did not want to infect their families by going home, they stayed on campus where they quarantined together.
They said that this relieved them from stress because they were not completely alone and able to still entertain each other. They said that what they missed doing the most was walking outside.
Although they were unable to leave their quarantine space, they said that they were still able to engage with those on campus.
“We made a lot of friendship bracelets and we did a lot of homework. We did some of the campus activities that were held virtually, such as trivia,” Urban said.
The office of Community Engagement holds campus-wide programs virtually to accommodate students who are remote, giving students in quarantine or isolation the ability to participate. Other virtual programs have included virtual DJ sessions, scavenger hunts, and exercise classes.
The students applaud the school for making sure they had everything they needed from three meals a day to making sure they had access to their classes.
Sodexo workers would deliver their meals which they ordered online through the “Bite University” app.
“They would come right between 8 to 9 a.m., 12 to 1 p.m., and 5 to 6pm. They would text you saying your food is ready; knock on the door and leave it outside,” Errera said.
The office of Residence Life would also keep in close contact with the students to make sure they were not experiencing symptoms.
“We talked to someone almost every day. We talked to Res life almost every day for a week,” Goharzadeh said.
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