Students from Lee Hall and Hulett Hall are Released from Quarantine

At 5:45 pm on Wednesday October 28, residents of Lee Hall and Hulett Hall who had to enter precautionary quarantine were released because the COVID-19 test results and the wastewater testing showed no new positive trace of the virus. This news came as students were feeling the pressure of quarantine.

Brittanie Gordon ’21 shares her thought, “I feel exhausted and also stress in terms of schoolwork,” she said, “because my room is not conducive for learning at all and even though all my classes are online, I usually do them in ODY or my common room. Now I can’t use those spaces, I had to try to set something up in my room and it’s not going as well.”

Jaron Belmore ’24, a student in Lee Hall shared a similar struggle, “I feel drained from schoolwork,” he said,” and I don’t have a place to go and relax outside of my room.”

However, Gordon appreciates the University’s attempt on keeping the students comfortable and well-fed during the quarantine. “They are giving out breakfasts from 7:30 am to 9 am, lunch from 11:30 am to 1 pm, and dinner from 5:30 pm to 7 pm,” Gordon said. “I know there are a lot of us, so even though the hours don’t work best for me, I understand that they are trying their best.”

One criticism that Gordon pointed out is the lack of social distancing in picking up food. “When you think that people would want to take it more seriously, especially given the fact that we are the buildings were under quarantine, they are not following those rules. I had to keep telling people to back up to make sure that we are 6 feet apart.” She also suggested that there was nobody there to enforce social distancing, or that this quarantine is not sufficient because students can still leave their building to go pick up meals in Eben Holden.

Assistant Dean of Student Life & Director of Student Activities John Robert O’Connor, in response to this comment, suggested that this is not a full quarantine but instead a middle precautionary step. “The wastewater testing works to provide us with early alert on where there might be positive cases, but it can also track COVID trace from recovered bodies,” he said. “The University decided to quarantine Hulett and Lee residents to limit their interaction with other parts of the campus until we ran additional tests to find out whether there are active cases. This is opposed to a full quarantine where a person shows symptoms, or they have been in contact with someone who has COVID-19.”

O’Connor also pressed the importance of the Laurentian Pact. “Sending two buildings into quarantine indicates how important it is for students to continue to adhere to all aspects of the Laurentian Pact,” he said. “This set of rules cannot work without you making an effort, and it is the determining factor to make sure that you can continue your academic path in a positive environment.”

Phase 3 of the residence visitation policy remains in effect as there are no active cases on campus. O’Connor hopes that students can continue to look out for each other and to report violations if seen. “Because each violation is uniquely different, it is important that students report them with as many specific details as they can,” he said. “We want students to know that we take these very seriously, and we appreciate their effort in ensuring that our community is safe for everyone.”