During Fall 2023, Ithaca College students have continued to test positive for COVID-19 but have found themselves at a loss for what to do next. The college has discontinued its quarantine housing options and support services, which is less than ideal for the communal living that college promotes. Although it is understandable that the college cannot have comprehensive and elaborate COVID-19 policies forever, clear and explicit guidelines should still be in place so that students know how to respond if they become sick and where they can go to isolate themselves.
As of Fall 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend isolating for at least five days after testing positive for COVID-19, including “staying home and separate from others as much as possible.” The CDC also recommends wearing a mask until ten days after testing positive, unless two COVID-19 antigen tests taken 48 hours apart both provide negative results. What this means is that while COVID-19 is in many ways a less prevalent and dangerous problem than it was in 2020 or 2021, individuals who contract the illness are still recommended to isolate themselves and wear a mask to avoid spreading the virus.
At the college, many students live in two-person dorm rooms or other communal living arrangements and it is not easy for them to isolate. On Sept. 13, 2023, Samm Swarts, assistant director of Emergency Preparedness and Response at the college, instructed students via email to follow a “self-management structure” if they contract COVID-19 and isolate themselves in their residence halls. This guidance provides no consideration of the fact that for many students, isolating in a residence hall is not possible, and it is this ambiguous guidance that has left many students feeling lost and unsure of what to do. The college has since said that students can work with their resident assistants to determine how to proceed if isolating in their room is difficult or impossible, but this feels like a reactionary measure where there should have been a precautionary plan in place.
While COVID-19 does not pose the same threat as it did two years ago for many people, it still exists and the CDC still recommends isolation and masking for individuals who test positive; the college should have clear and explicit guidance in place for students who contract the virus, as this is in the best interest of the campus community. For many people who are immuno-compromised, COVID-19 still poses a significant threat to their health and safety and it is important in this communal-living environment to recognize that fact.
