Every new school year provides its own set of challenges but the challenges this year will be unlike any of the years before. The COVID-19 pandemic has been trying on the education system forcing universities to choose between online learning or returning to campus as QU has.

After working all summer with the Adams Country Health Department, QU is prepared to take care of its students by way of virus spread prevention precautions but also by having a plan once a positive case does appear.

As classes continue through the midway point of week two there are currently 15 students in quarantine. With the number of students in quarantine starting to rise it raises the question; how do you quarantine at school?

Christine Tracy Ed.D., vice president of student development at QU, spoke about the quarantining process and how they can differ from one another.

“Quarantine can happen a couple different ways,” she said. “If a student has any symptoms of COVID-19 they should contact me. Depending on whats going on I will have them call COVID hotline. If the recommendation is they get tested they will go into quarantine until the test results are returned.”

While students wait for their test results Tracy is hard at work finding the previous whereabouts of tested students.

“I contact trace,” Tracy said. “Anyone they were in close contact with 48 hours prior and quarantine them until results are returned.”

Once the test results come back a decision is made about the best way to proceed.

“If negative then everyone is out of quarantine unless the person originally sick has a fever,” Tracy said. “If positive all close contacts are in quarantine for 14 days from the last contact they had with the positive.”

Dayson Croes is a student at QU who is currently quarantining with his roommate and baseball teammate Gino D’Alessio in the Student Living Center. Both athletes find the quarantining process to be uneventful.

“There’s not much to do,” Croes said. “We made a schedule for using the bathroom and kitchen for meals but besides that you can’t leave your room.”

“I play a lot of video games and watch plenty of Netflix,” D’Alessio added. “Days and I just make sure to avoid each other and follow our schedule so we can get back to baseball as soon as possible.”

Although these two particular students chose to stay in their rooms in the SLC to quarantine that doesn’t mean that other students will have the same option.

“Quarantine can happen on the 4th floor of Padua- hall is split so half is female and half is male. I have a house on campus we can quarantine and depending on the situation we can have students quarantine where they live,” Tracy said.

Students are reminded to continue to practice physical distancing and wear masks throughout campus to avoid the spread of virus. Should you start to experience any COVID-19 symptoms contact Christine Tracy immediately.