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The university is trying to isolate students who have the coronavirus or have been exposed to it, but they have encountered many problems.
Across the United States, universities that have reopened to face-to-face teaching are working to curb the rapid spread of the coronavirus among tens of thousands of students by imposing strict social distancing rules and experimenting with a series of new technologies (such as virus tracking apps).
But perhaps their most complicated problem is how to treat students who are positive for the virus or who have come into contact with them. For this reason, many campuses are allowing students to accept one of the oldest infection control measures known to civilization: isolation.
Many public and private universities have reserved special dormitories or rented off-campus apartments or hotel rooms to provide isolation beds for infected students and isolation areas for those who may be sick.
The overall strategy got such as
The largest infectious disease expert in the United States, he said it is better to separate students until they are no longer infectious, rather than sending them home where they might infect family and friends.
But in fact, many college students and some epidemiologists say that these policies have collapsed, often in ways that might put students and university staff at risk. This collapse reflects the chaotic nature of this unusual semester, when the school was trying to provide face-to-face and remote teaching. Identify, isolate, and treat the coronavirus outbreak; and maintain the safe behavior of sometimes unruly college students.
At the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa,
Since mid-August, and at the University of Notre Dame
, The students reported that their classmate had violated the quarantine rules and wandered outside. At Iowa State University, it was reported
A student who is awaiting the results of the Covid-19 test said that he was sent back to his regular dormitory and may infect his roommate.
In many campuses, students with confirmed or potentially infected infections are flooded with social media platforms describing dirty rooms.
, Lack of furniture, chaotic procedures, and little monitoring by universities.
Transcript
I’m from the New York Times, and this is Megan Twohey. This is "daily".
In the early days of the pandemic, nursing homes, prisons and meat processing plants were the locations of the coronavirus outbreak across the country. Now, as some students return to campus in the fall semester, the new hot spot is universities. My colleague Natasha Singer tells the story of a school and a student.
September 16, Wednesday.
Natasha, tell me how you found Zoie.
Therefore, from August, we began to receive so-called SOS news from university students.
The reason for receiving these messages is that we have a system called Tip Jar, in which readers who want to be a whistleblower or who just have a complaint or want to provide us with tips on research content can write to us anonymously we. Therefore, this information began to come from different campuses of college students who were isolated in these special dormitories for use by students who tested positive for the coronavirus. They described being trapped in these dirty environments, isolated in isolated dormitories, bed bugs and mold on the walls, and leaking bathrooms. Moreover, they feel abandoned. The university has cut them off to prevent them from being infected and spread to anyone else, and then forget about them.
Wow.
Good morning, TikTok. So I was quarantined in the New York University dorm for two weeks, and I could not leave. They bring us meals every day.
Therefore, I decided to try to find some students who are in quarantine and isolation on the university campus.
It is 11:15. I just had breakfast. Let us see what it is. Because so far, food has been problematic.
I watched TikTok because we have been watching all the videos on TikTok where these kids complain about the bad taste.
For breakfast delivered at 12:30-warm grape juice. Mysterious vegetarian muffins. Granola bars. Unripe oranges.
But are people going to the University of Michigan just like [exclusive] what is happening now? And, just like fear-
In addition, these students complained about deeper things.
I think NYU saw my TikTok last night. Because it's 2:00 pm and they haven't fed me all day.
We hardly get any supplies. We have no food, no masks, no gloves, no microwave ovens, no sheets, no soap, no cleaning supplies. No.
When I look at the students who care more
New York University, I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings. Please feed me.
—I watched this student's video at the University of Alabama.
Hey everyone. This is the first day of isolation. I found out today that I have Covid, and now my university has sent me to a small apartment alone for 14 days.
Her name is Zoie Terry. She was just recording her experience of being isolated in this dormitory.
Row. I will not lie. This apartment is a bit scary. However, we will continue to use it. They also gave three waters. I will provide you with the latest developments.
She is very optimistic. She smiled brightly. She is very charming. However, it seems that the environment behind her is very dim. Therefore, I entered the directory of the University of Alabama and searched for every student named Zoie.
Then, you know, I found this Zoie. I just sent her an email and said, I want to know what it is. I want to know what your experience in the isolation dormitory was like.
Who is Zoe?
Zoie is a sophomore at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.
My name is Zoie Terry. I am 19 years old. I am from Birmingham, Alabama.
Therefore, last year, she joined a society. You know, she lives in a freshman dormitory and looks forward to autumn. But just before the spring break, the coronavirus began to spread.
Then, once I got home, within an hour of returning home, they sent us an email and told us that we would not come back again.
They never returned to school. The campus was closed because of the coronavirus.
So, when this happens, how do you feel about it?
I was very unhappy. Me and all my friends were ruined. Because we just entered college life. But I'm a little scared because I don't know, for example, whether I need to start at home and prepare my own things to live at home, or whatever. Because my mother and my twin brother live with her in a two-bedroom apartment.
She stayed at home with her mother. And, you know they are united to wait for this process.
I persuaded my mother to let me keep a dog. This is the whole content of my entire quarantine work. I just watched my dog grow up.
What about Zoie's second-year students? Is the university planning to reopen?
Therefore, in June, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey announced this ambitious plan to reopen public universities throughout the state. She also allocated $30 million in federal funds from the Federal Emergency Coronavirus Response Fund to create the program to test every student returning to the University of Alabama to study for coronavirus before attending school. As you may know, this may be 150,000 students.
How will they do this? We have been reading about all the deficiencies in the test. How will you test more than 150,000 students?
This is actually an interesting story because one of the schools at the University of Alabama-the University of Alabama in Birmingham-is a major academic medical center and has a major medical school. The governor asked the University of Alabama at Birmingham to conduct this comprehensive test on every returning college student. Therefore, they have improved their testing capabilities. Moreover, they can handle 10 to 12,000 student coronavirus tests every day.
They also established this military-level logistics service, where they opened 13 coronavirus testing sites for students across the state. Students must take the test within two weeks before returning to campus. The president of the University of Alabama and others, as they are describing, promised that when these Alabama schools reopen, they will be the safest campuses in the United States.
So, during the summer vacation, although all these students are being tested, where is the infection rate in Alabama?
Therefore, in August, when the University of Alabama was about to reopen, the per capita infection rate in Alabama ranked seventh in the United States.
This is a calculated risk. But they think their plan is comprehensive and can be safely reopened.
What about Zoie? Does she think this is dangerous?
I think a few weeks before school starts, I feel more comfortable with the idea of going back to school because everyone has to be tested before they can be allowed to return to school.
Therefore, for Zoie to return to school, she must also get a test that all other college students in Alabama must take.
The result was negative again. So I was allowed to go to school.
She will return to school early before class because she will participate in emergency help activities and help interview and identify first-year students. These girls will become emergency helpers and will move into this house next year.
So it's really strange to come back. Everything looks so different because it's just something like social distance.
You know, usually this is a real holiday, social, face-to-face gathering. And now, they must be anxious online. They must virtually interview prospective community members. But they still put a lot of energy into it. Zoie stayed up late. Then she really, really got up early to help organize peaks and interview potential students.
Therefore, when you lack sleep, you will start to feel a little sick. you know what I mean? But I was thinking at the time, I cannot get this virus. Because I have been following all the guidelines. I did nothing. I am in the room 24/7. After such a day or two, my body became so weak and feverish. I called my mother. And she, like, you need to test to be sure.
Therefore, she got an appointment for the test that day. She is engaged in student health services. And she has a coronavirus test.
It tells me that I am positive.
Then what did you do?
So I am not sure what to do. Because it is very new. So basically, I had to contact the Covid-19 hotline at the University of Alabama. And, like there is a button, if you think you might have Covid, press this button. If you need a positive test result, please click here. Therefore, I pressed the button and assigned a case manager.
And we just-she talked to me on the phone. I kind of broke down. I was crying and hyperventilating. She's like, how are you? Like, I know this is terrible. But, I promise you will be fine. We will solve this problem. I will tell you the exact operation. I liked it very much, thank you very much. I was trying to calm myself down at the other end of the route. but-
She received this email and told her that you want to move to this place. And there will be a lock box in your key.
So I just packed all my clothes and things. I packed the TV. And, like, I packaged my essential oil diffuser, and something interesting like this. I know, please try to make it as home as possible, because I will miss home very much.
So she got the key. Then she went there and she opened the door. And a bit empty.
When I went there, there was no one there. There are no lights in the building. And I am the only person in isolation in my apartment. I think they are just beginning to isolate people. Therefore, everything is new to them. and also-
There is no toilet paper. Moreover, there is no disinfectant of any kind. And no one greeted her, right? There is no one in the university. No one in the mask without a nurse. There are no security guards. No one is with her, tell her what will happen next, tell her who can call. She basically fends for herself.
So, how does it feel to go to this place by yourself?
Well, I have a lot of anxiety. So this is an experience, I will go there first. Remember, I also have corona. So I was very sick and very fair-I was very emotional. So I just remember that I walked in, then went straight to the furthest room, turned on the light, and closed the door. I just sat there and started crying. I only cried for five minutes. Then I pulled myself together. Then I took my things from the car.
She called her mother, who was an ICU nurse. She called her sister who works in New York. She was basically face to face with them. This is the beginning of getting her through.
So basically, my sister accepted what we call day shift. The first thing I do when I wake up is to call her. So I keep her on FaceTime all day long. My mother night shift. So my mother will stay with me all night. She likes to say that she is monitoring my breathing in case something happens when I pass out or pass out in the middle of the night. She wants to follow me 24/7 to avoid unresponsiveness. and so
Basically, you and your sister live 12 hours a day, and mother 12 hours a day live 24/7?
Yes I will panic. And I think I can’t breathe. But this is actually due to my anxiety and panic attacks. Therefore, I want to tell my mother what I am going through and how healthy it is. Then she will let me know what to do from then on.
So how is Zoie's condition?
She has a fever. She was exhausted. She has some breathing problems. Some of them are anxiety. But you know, it's hard to know. This is one of the reasons why her mother wants to monitor her. They have also had family tragedies recently. Zoie's father suffered from respiratory illness and died last year. Therefore, the coronavirus is a respiratory disease, and Zoie suffers from the coronavirus, which aggravated the anxiety of the whole family and made her mother want to monitor her and play the role of guardian. Because the university is not the guardian of the sick student.
Zoie was quarantined, what happened on campus?
Therefore, she is indeed one of the first students to enter the quarantine room. But over time, the coronavirus is spreading throughout the campus. Therefore, there are more and more cars in parking lots. Some students started to move in. right? Before she moved out, an epidemic broke out on the campus. The children went to the party without wearing a mask. They have been gathering in local bars in Tuscaloosa without wearing masks. Moreover, the virus cases have surged.
We will be back soon.
So Natasha, when Zoie was in quarantine, did the virus really spread throughout the campus?
Yes, Zoie believes he has contracted the coronavirus. The story shows how the disease spreads on campus.
That night, I left my sorority house and went, just like interacting with friends. It was me and three other girls. We all ordered Chipper to go to her house. We have dinner together. We watched the movie.
So she called a friend who had dinner that night.
I was very nervous calling me. I said, hey girl, what are you doing? She sounded depressed. She said that I am currently undergoing Covid testing.
Am I really? It's funny you say that. She went before I could complete my sentence, and so did my house. So if you got it from this person, then I am sorry.
I said, no, that's good. I am actually calling you to tell you that I have tested positive for Covid, so you need to be tested. She is gone, no, yes, I am now being tested. So thank you for telling me.
It turned out that all the girls who had dinner that night eventually contracted the coronavirus. This is before the start of the course. So you can imagine how the virus began to spread when students returned to campus.
So what went wrong with this broad plan for testing?
Before returning to campus, they tested thousands of students. But the link in this test protocol is really weak. That is, students must take the test within two weeks of returning to campus. But this means, for example, you can test me two weeks before returning to campus, and then I can go to a party and get Covid.
Correct.
Otherwise, I might not know that I have it. By the way, you tested me and it took four days to develop. Then I want to take my Covid to campus. Therefore, a great effort was made to conduct this test. But I interviewed an epidemiologist, and he said that even testing the child within a week is useless. Alabama did its best.
I asked them why they used the two-week window. They said, look, we are testing children on a large scale. Judging from the level of higher education across the country, it is considered the largest student examination program. Moreover, two days before class, they could not handle all these 150,000 tests. Therefore, they weigh the trade-offs and fascinate everyone. In fact, doing so is not close to rewards.
So, what happened to the campus when Zoie left the quarantine area?
Therefore, after ten days, Zoie was finally free.
Guess what, you guys? I'm done. I've had enough. I've had enough. I've had enough.
She let this jailbroken TikTok.
Zoie, you might ask yourself, what is the first thing to do when you have time? What I want to say is, I dated Linda!
Then she went home to visit her mother and her dog.
And my dog-[laughs]-but he didn't really realize it was me. Kind of sad. Because I put on a mask-until I started talking in a dog's voice. Everyone has one.
Can you use the dog's voice?
Oh no. (In the dog's voice) I just talked to my Simon like this. He is very cute. That's how I talk to him.
It sounds like your native language.
He knew, he knew-if I said "Simon, come here" in a normal voice, he wouldn't know that I was talking to him. But if I (in the voice of the dog) are "Simon, come here", then he will know that I am talking to him.
I like that.
When Zoie is back on campus, this is a completely different place. There are more restrictions to try to solve this virus outbreak on campus. Except for necessary activities, students are basically limited to their own rooms. They cannot have any gatherings. They can't hang around in the dormitory. They cannot go to public spaces. All meals are closed except for the dining room. The bars in Tuscaloosa were closed for two weeks.
It's strange to be honest, it's not very interesting. I can choose a cheaper way, such as going to a community college online, instead of paying the tuition that I pay now.
Therefore, she basically spent a lot of time in the room. Except for one of the courses, most of her courses are now online. However, she still wanted to be there.
Moreover, the reason why I am here is the education and resources required by my profession.
This is really important to her.
Both my mom and dad went here. This is why I mainly choose to go to school here, because I am one of five children going to college. And he was the only person to go to Bama. Therefore, coming here is a gift for me.
So, are you like a legacy of "rolling tide"?
We are definitely a huge family of football fans.
She inherited this important family tradition, both educational, intellectual and social. She wants to persevere. They all hope that the university can do this.
This is just a kind of anxiety. Because my freshman year was not so good. Because I just overcame my father's death, and I spent my entire new year in sadness. So I was looking forward to my sophomore year and thought, oh my goodness, it will be very interesting. Like, I want to meet all these new friends. Now that I am here, everything has happened to Covid, and we can no longer have the sophomores that others have been able to have in the past few years.
I can't even imagine the feeling of being born again. I feel sorry for them. Because they want to go to university, and this is not a university. Like, in a hurry, I told people, I was like, I promise this is not a university. This is really interesting. everything will be fine. We will solve this problem. We just need to overcome this difficulty. After everything is fine, I hope we will be vaccinated and maybe one day it may return to normal. But until then, we have to work hard through this time and hope that things will get better.
How do you understand why states and schools such as the University of Alabama did this in the first place?
I think there are many factors that affect whether the university decides to reopen. There are many interesting calculations about how the number or percentage of students infected with the virus and the acceptable risk.
And we have seen that some universities, even large state universities, have decided not to open up to teach in person. They will not bring students back to campus. Some of them made the decision this semester, and some said, look, we will spend the first six weeks online and see what happens.
Other universities think it would be better to reopen. Their financial interests and financial survival will be better. It will be better for students who have a better experience. There is nothing better than personal interaction. You know, their lack of openness can cause educational losses and emotional growth losses.
Can you explain the financial aspect, financial calculation?
Correct. Well, universities obviously need tuition and accommodation fees, such as dormitory fees and canteen money. Yes, public schools are funded by the state government. But they also need income. Therefore, you need to do a lot of financial calculations, will we not reopen and lose all these revenues? Or do we want to open up and get some income? Knowing that we are about to close, will we open and get some income, but at least we will get part of it? Therefore, there is a big financial driving force behind the decision whether to reopen.
Then, there are financial decisions at every step. Like, ok, we want to reopen. Do we want to reopen the dormitory when it is full and get all the money needed for living? Or will we be hit, actually saying that only new students and the elderly can come back? In this way, each room can only accommodate one student. We hope that this can indeed reduce the risk of virus transmission. However, we will suffer a financial blow.
Therefore, we see that the university performs different calculations. Some people decide that we will not test children. If the child shows symptoms or has been exposed, we will only test it.
We saw other universities, such as the University of Illinois at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and they decided to test each student twice a week. This is a major state university, and the only way they decide to safely reopen is to test each student every week, twice a week. Correct? That is a financial calculation. They will spend this money because they are trying to reduce the risk.
Then there is political calculation. If you are the Republican governor of a major Republican state, whether people should be required to wear masks in that state has been controversial, so you may decide to reopen for other reasons. Because your voters want you to reopen, and your president wants you to reopen.
We recently saw Dr. Anthony Fauci, a top infectious disease expert in the United States, saying that for those universities that have reopened and have a large number of outbreaks, sending students home to spread the virus may be much more risky than leaving the virus there. . Therefore, we have seen that universities have promoted the virus outbreak by reopening in a sense, so the virus outbreak must be controlled by keeping students on campus.
Natasha, a few days ago you published your first report on what happened to Zoie and the University of Alabama. What happened since then?
On the same day that the story was published, approximately eight hours later, the president of the University of Alabama sent this message to students, faculty, staff, and parents. What he said is that they are implementing these important new changes.
Did you know that the university sent an email after it was reported that they were about to change the quarantine and quarantine message?
I do not know.
Well, I just want to read it to you. Because I received an email from the President of Alabama today.
Row.
I want to read it to you.
Row. So: "Dear students, faculty, staff, and parents, I hope your Labor Day weekend is safe and easy. I want to introduce you to the Covid-19 steps we have implemented. "For students who are actively testing and preparing to move into the campus quarantine area, Staff and medical resources have been enhanced to ensure timely communication and service expansion. "
awesome. Wow, that makes me very happy.
Congratulations, Zoe. You have improved the quality of isolation at the University of Alabama.
Thank you. Oh my god. That's great, that makes me feel better. For me, I know I want to be quarantined. Should I be quarantined again like later this year? Oh, that makes me feel better.
thank you very much. I am glad that I have a say in all these aspects. Because when I first started the isolation, I just sat in that room and cried, because I was like, no one would hear my story about this. No one will know this. Now that I have actually made a sound, people will hear about this news, and I am very grateful.
In the latest report from the University of Alabama, more than 2,500 students and nearly 1,200 faculty and staff have tested positive for the coronavirus in the past month. But in recent days, schools have reported that the virus is slowing down. On Monday, they announced that they would relax some regulations on campus closures.
This is other information you need to know today. On the Gulf Coast, states are preparing for Hurricane Sally to make landfall near Alabama. The storm is expected to hit today.
Those who live on the Gulf of Mexico are very familiar with the wrath of nature. We still hope and pray that Sally will not bring that kind of pain and heartache. But my fellow Alabama Hurricane Sally should not be taken for granted.
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey received warnings of devastating floods and tornado threats, urging coastal residents to evacuate low-lying areas. Officials predict that rainfall in some places will be as high as 30 inches, and storm surges will be as high as 6 to 9 feet. On Tuesday, members of Breonna Taylor's family and city officials from Louisville, Kentucky, said they had settled an unlawful death lawsuit filed on her behalf.
Despite the extraordinary significance today, this is only the beginning of Bruna's full justice. We must not focus on real work. Having said that, it is time to move forward with criminal charges, because she deserves and more.
As part of the settlement agreement, New York City will pay Tyler’s family $12 million and promised thorough police reform. But it admitted that it did nothing wrong. A criminal investigation is underway on the three police officers who carried out the attack that resulted in Taylor's death.
Her beautiful spirit and personality are working hard on the ground of all of us. So please continue to say her name, Breonna Taylor.
Brenna Taylor!
"Daily" is like this. I’m Megan Twohey. Michael Barbaro will be back next week. see you tomorrow.
At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Brianna Hayes developed a fever after staying at school for a week, went to the campus health service, and was immediately assigned to an isolation dormitory for students at risk of the virus. Two days later, the university informed Ms. Hayes, a first-year student from Wilmington, North Carolina, that she had tested positive and that she needed to move to the Covid-19 isolation dormitory again.
Ms. Hayes said, but there is no university staff in the dormitory to help sick students, and there is no elevator. Mad and exhausted by the virus, she went up and down the stairs four times to move the bedding and other items to the isolation room. She said that during the week of isolation, no one from the university came to check on her.
She said: "I think everyone is only interested in how I influence others (such as people I have been in contact with) and then I get sick."
UNC's deputy prime minister in charge of student affairs, Amy Johnson, stated that the school’s hard work "provides a relaxed and comfortable transition for students" and maintains "open channels of communication." use
In the past month, the university switched to online teaching in mid-August, but it allowed some students with clear needs to stay on campus.
University officials said the logistics of caring for students infected and exposed to the virus is complicated and involves dozens of employees in many departments. Although some schools sometimes admit that their plans are flawed, they also believe that they effectively isolate students within the range of possible infections and hinder the spread of the virus.
Many universities said they are working to improve their response to the epidemic. The University of Alabama said it recently dispatched college police in the isolation dormitory, while Notre Dame de Paris said
Monitor the isolation of students in hotels and off-campus apartments.
In order to prevent the spread of the virus, other schools are transferring students infected with the virus to isolation units, and then quarantining everyone staying in the dormitory. Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana
And other student dormitories that are completely or partially isolated. Last week, Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania
, Asking them to stay in their rooms, and now sending most of them home for online teaching-except for the first-year students, they will stay on campus, where there is only one dormitory for each.
Some public health experts said that the supervision of the quarantine dormitory is not strict enough, which raises the question whether the university has made more fundamental changes, which may first help them to limit the outbreak of the epidemic, such as greatly reducing the number of residents and All students were tested repeatedly for the virus.
"If there is no reasonable and feasible plan to prevent the infection from spreading on campus, universities should not bring students back."
The University of Washington said. "Without such a plan, they are in a very bad situation, and you are trying to mitigate the damage."
Epidemiologists warn that some school outbreak control measures may have unintended consequences-it may increase the spread of the virus in campuses, university towns and student residences.
"The big picture here is that universities provide opportunities for the spread of the virus on campus, especially off campus," he said.
Serving at the University of Chicago, he developed predictive virus models for Illinois. "Universities are not responsible for the risks they cause."
A student at North Carolina State University who recently
, He said he packed up and went home-only a few days later learned that he had developed Covid-19. At Tulane University, several students who may have symptoms or exposure to the virus said that the school has moved them to dormitories with quarantine and isolation units, where they share suites and bathrooms-living conditions that they fear will lead to infection.
One of the Tulane University students, sophomore Elena Markowitz (Elena Markowitz) said that she moved into the isolation unit after developing symptoms and waiting for the virus test results. Ms. Markowitz explained in a TikTok video that she discovered that her roommate who lived in the same bathroom had tested positive for Covid-19. Ms. Markowitz then received a negative test result.
Ms. Markowitz said in an interview: "I realized that they might expose me to more than one person."
Scott Tims
Regarding campus health, he said the school only puts students who have been exposed to similar viruses together, and arranges nurses in the isolation dormitory around the clock.
Speaking of the nurses, he said: "They conduct rounds of inspections every few hours, check for symptoms twice a day, and also conduct room inspections to make sure the students are there." "We really want to ensure the safety of the students."
Update January 29, 2021
The latest news on how the pandemic is reshaping education.
At the University of Alabama, which is fighting the largest campus epidemic in the United States, several students in Highland are a campus apartment complex with a quarantine and isolation unit. They said that the school did not send nurses and observed the quarantine of their classmates.
Sarah Ortbal, a sophomore, lives on the other side of the heights,
After hanging out with an infected student outside the dormitory and learning that the quarantined student was allowed to use the communal laundry facility to talk.
She said that she only asked the university to provide alternative campus housing. If the university felt unsafe, she could cancel the housing contract and move out of campus, which she could not afford.
Altbar said: "I'm getting a housing scholarship." "So it can live here for free or spend thousands of dollars to live off campus."
A spokeswoman for the University of Alabama, Monica Watts, said the school is "continuously strengthening" its support for students in isolation and housing. The school provides case managers, meal and pharmacy delivery services, security guards, and staff’s personal mobile phone numbers for students to contact.
Ms. Watts added that the school is working hard to meet the relocation requirements of students.
Another sophomore in Alabama, Zoie Terry from Birmingham, praised the university's involvement in the operation because she tested positive for the virus and quickly sent her to high ground for isolation. However, once relocated, she said that she felt anxious and there was no nurse or other staff to check her. Students isolated in other schools have described similar experiences.
When talking about her isolation experience, Ms. Terry said: “One thing that needs a lot of care is the mental health issue, because it is very scary and has the coronavirus.” “We are college students. We just left home, This is very stressful."
Tufts University near Boston started classes on Tuesday, hoping to better manage the risk of the virus compared to other peers. It greatly reduces the occupancy of the dormitory and conducts virus testing for all students twice a week. It also installed modular housing units on tennis courts and installed parking lots for up to 225 infected students instead of placing them in dormitories.
Dr. Anthony P. Monaco,
Said that the school decided not to use the dormitory, partly because it did not want too many students to share the bathroom, and partly because the dormitory lacked elevators. In an emergency, students on sick leave may need to be transferred to the hospital.
Dr. Monaco said: "When we inspected the dormitory, I and our medical staff were worried." "Ordering temporary modular units is very easy."
Many students praised their university’s efforts to control the virus, saying that they desperately want the school to succeed so that they can stay on campus. But they hope their school will increase its efforts.
Jack Hennen, an 18-year-old first-year student at Iowa State University, said that after one of his classmates developed Covid-19 last month, he asked the school to conduct a virus test. After the test, he was sent back to the dormitory to live with a friend at home. When the test results of the next day were not ready, Mr. Hennan began to worry that he might infect his roommate, and asked to move to a dormitory under quarantine.
However, the day after Mr. Haining was isolated, the university notified him that he had tested positive and moved him to the isolation dormitory. There, he was worried that the school had ignored his roommate and he was left in the dormitory even after Mr. Hennen tested positive.
Hennen said: "For people who want to take the initiative and don't want to spread the virus, they are doing a good job." "But I think they are letting too many things fly under the radar."
