What does the Quarantine process look like for a Nicholls student living on-campus?

TD 19 becomes Tropical Storm Sally
September 12, 2020
Track of Tropical Storm Sally shifts to the east
September 12, 2020
TD 19 becomes Tropical Storm Sally
September 12, 2020
Track of Tropical Storm Sally shifts to the east
September 12, 2020

“We must stay vigilant in our efforts to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. Staying socially safe doesn’t just protect you. It protects other students, faculty and staff, and our families. Wear your masks. Wash your hands. Limit the number of people you hang out with,” Nicholls State University President Jay Clune said in an email sent to students, faculty and staff of the university on Wednesday evening.

 

The statement went hand-in-hand with the announcement of a second suspected cluster of COVID-19 cases among a group of students that attended a Labor Day weekend gathering. Ten Nicholls students tested positive, while another 27 have been advised to get tested and quarantine accordingly, an updated email stated. 

 

This semester, Nicholls has adopted a system for monitoring and reporting COVID-19 symptoms, as well as testing and quarantining, in order to allow for the hopeful continuation of in-person courses. 


 

For students living on campus, especially those with roommates, the need for quarantining could potentially pose logistical challenges. So, what exactly does the university’s quarantine process look like for those Colonels?

 

Back in July, the university announced a $400,000 donation from BHP Petroleum that would go toward a renovation of Babington Hall on campus. 

 

A portion of those rooms in South Babington are serving this semester as a “quarantine wing” for students living on campus who test positive for COVID-19 or have to quarantine as a result of “close contact” with the virus. 


 

For the purposes of Nicholls’ residential life, close contact, by definition, is to come within six feet of a COVID-19-positive person for 15 minutes. 

 

“[With] every single one of these students, the first thing we have to do is call them…and we very quickly build a relationship with these students because we’re calling them a couple times to say…‘What are your symptoms? What’s happened? How did you come into contact? Was it close contact?’ So we’re navigating all of the little details to figure out what needs to happen next,” Director of Residential Living Alex Coad said. 

 

For students that require a quarantine dorm due to a positive test or close contact with someone who has tested positive, the process begins with a packet of information explaining what steps are set to come next for them. The packet includes a packing list of items they may need during the duration of their stay.


 

Students that have tested positive or are showing symptoms of COVID-19 are required to quarantine for 10 days following the initial appearance of COVID-related symptoms. Students that come into close contact with a COVID-positive person are required to quarantine for two weeks, which is the length of the possible incubation period for the virus.

 

“For all of those students, we talk to them, walk them through it, and I’ve had very long, personal conversations with all of these students because they have concerns – I’m going to this place. I’m kind of scared. What does it mean? When do I get to get out?” Coad said. “We try to ease those and make sure that they don’t feel like they’re completely alone, and they’re not because there are other students that are going through this, too.”

 

Coad said that students requiring quarantine transport themselves to Babington in their own vehicles or through transportation arranged by the university, with personal protective equipment and safety protocols in place to protect all parties involved. Students are then shown to their room in Babington.


 

Upon their arrival, students are given a care package that includes items like snacks, water and gatorade, in addition to medical supplies to use for providing updates to the university.

 

Student Affairs Case Manager Andi Sonnier checks in with quarantined students daily to find out what resources students may need, as well as to get an update on symptoms, Coad said.

 

Coad said the housing department delivers three meals a day to quarantined students, all provided by dining services. 


 

With the help of hyflex course offerings, students are able to continue attending class virtually and completing coursework while remaining in their dorms.  

 

“It’s quite the process, but it’s something that we’ve learned to figure out, and we just try to make it as normal of an experience as possible,” Coad said. “It’s just…stay here, complete your virtual work all online if you’re feeling up to it, and if you need other resources, how can we help you get those?”

 

At the end of the quarantine stay, Coad said that students must fill out a return-to-school form ensuring that they meet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) standards for exiting quarantine. 


 

“That piece is super important to understand – that we would not allow someone to go back into an environment if the CDC did not designate that it was okay to,” Coad said.

 

After the student leaves their Babington dorm, the room is cleaned and sanitized for the next occupant. 

 

As the university prepares to address plans moving forward for how it will operate under Phase 3 of reopening, which began at midnight, Nicholls Director of Communications Jerad David said that the university is confident in its response methods to positive cases on campus. 


 

“Everyone has said that they want to be here. They want to finish this semester here and not virtually, so we have to continue doing the right things and being responsible,” David said. 

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