Campus & Community

Student Isolation Protocols for Spring 2022

Thursday, January 20, 2022, By News Staff

Dear Students and Families:

As we approach the Spring 2022 semester, I am writing to share a detailed overview of isolation protocols for students who test positive for COVID-19. These measures will help ensure we continue to protect the health and well-being of our campus community and mitigate the transmission of the virus.

Most importantly, any student who tests positive for COVID is immediately directed to isolation. Below, you will find guidance for both students who reside off campus or on South Campus, and students who reside in an on-campus residence hall.

Protocol for a student who resides off campus or in a South Campus apartment

  • If the student can isolate safely at their residence, they will do so for five days, where Day 0 is the day of a positive test or when symptoms began, and Day 1 is the first full day following a positive test.
  • As per Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines, the student may resume essential activities on the morning of Day 6, including attending class. Students should not go to places where they are unable to wear a mask, such as gyms, and avoid eating around others for a full 10 days. They can resume essential activities assuming either of the following:
    • The student is asymptomatic, or
    • The student’s prior symptoms are resolved/resolving.
  • The Barnes Center will contact students directly to help them determine if they are cleared to exit isolation.
  • Students who remain symptomatic after Day 5 must continue in isolation until symptoms are resolved/resolving.
  • Any off-campus or South Campus student cleared to exit isolation on the morning of Day 6 must wear a mask around others at all times for an additional five days.

Protocol for a student who resides in an on-campus residence hall

  • The student will isolate in Skyhall (or other University-provided isolation facility) for five days, where Day 0 is the day of a positive test or when symptoms began, and Day 1 is the first full day following a positive test.
  • As per CDC guidelines, the student may resume essential activities on the morning of Day 6, including attending class, but they cannot enter residential areas of residence halls. Students should not go to places where they are unable to wear a mask, such as gyms, and avoid eating around others for a full 10 days. They can resume essential activities assuming either of the following:
    • The student is asymptomatic, or
    • The student’s prior symptoms are resolved/resolving.
  • The Barnes Center will contact students directly to help them determine if they are cleared to exit isolation.
  • If the student resides in an on-campus residence hall in a single room (no roommate), the student is cleared to move back into their assigned residence hall and must wear a mask around others at all times for an additional five days.
  • If the student resides in an on-campus residence hall with one or more roommates (where there is a shared sleeping space), the student will receive a COVID test (PCR saliva) on the morning of Day 6 (administered at Skyhall).
    • If that test is negative: The student is cleared to move back into their assigned residence hall and resume essential activities. The student will wear a mask, while around others, for an additional five days.
    • If that test is positive: The student is not cleared to move back to their assigned residence hall and must continue to reside in Skyhall for an additional five days (10 days total). The student may, however, leave Skyhall during the day to resume essential activities, including attending class. They must, however, continue to wear a mask at all times, avoid eating around others and sleep in their designated isolation housing.
    • Either way, the Barnes Center will contact students directly to help them determine if they are cleared to exit isolation.
  • Any student cleared to exit isolation on the morning of Day 6 must wear a mask around others at all times for an additional five days.

We are excited to welcome you back to campus, and your continued efforts to help in the University’s response to the pandemic are very much appreciated.

Be well,

Dr. Karen Nardella
Medical Director, Barnes Center at The Arch