With nearly a year of coronavirus experience, executives at many universities across the United States have ushered in the new phrase of pledging not to repeat the mistakes of last year as infection rates rose at the sites and in the surrounding communities.
While most schools have committed to increasing the number of tests, it is an expensive proposition at a time when many are struggling financially and not all students test as often as recommended by public health experts.
Plans to keep the virus under control, for example at the University of Michigan, which had more than 2,500 confirmed cases by the end of the fall semester, included increasing testing, more online classes, restricting dorms to one inmate, and offering none Tolerance for rule violations. The school has announced more than 1,000 new virus cases since January 1.
Other universities across the country have also encountered obstacles to a smooth springtime, including the unexpected challenge of emerging variants that have been held in recent days at the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Miami, Tulane University in New Orleans, and the University of California were discovered. Berkeley – and the more common problem of unruly students.
At Vanderbilt University in Nashville, students returning after the winter break had to be tested on arrival and were then asked to avoid social interactions while waiting for results. But some had other ideas.
“We have identified a group of positive Covid-19 cases associated with students who do not adhere to the rules for arriving on site,” reported a campus-wide email on January 23, in which two student organizations for the violation of protocols was held responsible. “More than 100 students are now in quarantine.”
The foundation of most spring semester university plans is on reinforced testing to identify infected students before they show symptoms and then place them in isolation. The test spike has increased since July, when a study recommended testing students twice a week to better identify asymptomatic infections.
The American College Health Association later adopted the idea and issued guidelines in December. “For spring, we strongly recommend that all students be tested on arrival and twice a week if possible thereafter,” said Gerri Taylor, co-chair of the organization’s Covid-19 task force.
Ms. Taylor said her organization didn’t know what percentage of schools had accepted the recommendations, and a survey of colleges across the country found a variety of requirements ranging from voluntary testing to mandatory testing twice a week.
