Life on The Hill: Isolation and quarantine – Gustavus students share their on campus COVID-19 experience

Students returning to campus are no doubt familiar with the COVID-19 self-report forms they have been frequently advised to take if they are experiencing any symptoms that cannot be explained by other issues. While Gustavus has a relatively low number of positive cases on campus, detecting the symptoms of COVID-19 and following steps to ensure the safety of others is the key concern of the case managers and contact tracers on campus.
Case managers help students understand their test results, notify them about which building they should go to for isolation or quarantine, and what to pack and expect during their stay. They do not make any medical decisions. That is the responsibility of another team of Gustavus employees: contact tracers. Contact tracers track down students who may have had close contact with someone who has gotten a positive COVID-19 test result, after which a case manager is assigned to the student.
Once a student reports that they have COVID-19 symptoms, have had known exposure to someone with COVID-19, or have tested positive off-campus, the COVID-19 case managers get involved. The case managers are a team of around 12 Gustavus employees who then call the student within a day of reporting symptoms and work with the student to decide whether to move to isolation.
Students enter quarantine if they have been in close contact with someone with COVID-19. Isolation is for those who are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms or who have a confirmed case of COVID-19. Students who have tested positive and remain on campus are sent to the “hostel” area of Southwest Hall. Those who are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and are waiting for test results, or who have had a negative test but are still experiencing symptoms are sent to Prairie View Hall. Anyone who has had close exposure with a confirmed case goes to the church retreat center or guest house near Norelius, where they are required to stay for 14 days. Students experiencing any of these situations have the option to go home for the duration of their isolation rather than remain on campus.
“While students are there, we want them to keep monitoring their symptoms. The case manager stays in touch with them during their time, that’s their first point of contact if they have any questions or concerns. The main role of the COVID-19 case managers is to be a resource for our students,” Senior Director of Institutional Events Barb Larson Taylor said.
Students are able to call in food delivery, order groceries and bring food with them into isolation. Each room is equipped with a mini-fridge and microwave, and a kitchen area is open for students to use. Students can also go online and order food from the Gustavus Dining Service. Meals are delivered by student employees around 4:30-5:00 p.m. and contain dinner for the current day and breakfast and lunch for the next day. Meals are put in hot and cold food coolers by the area where students scan their key cards and are charged to the student’s meal plan. Students without a meal plan through Gustavus are still able to get $1000 worth of meals from the Caf.
“It’s really lonely for students, so it’s important for them from a mental health standpoint to stay connected with family and friends. If you have friends who go into quarantine, don’t stop talking to them, keep reaching out… it can be quite lonely and boring for them,” Taylor said.
Sophomore Rachel Kegerris took a COVID-19 test on Oct. 20, right after filling out a self-report form. Later that night, she was contacted by her case manager, who recommended moving into isolation in Prairie View.
“It was an empty dorm with a bed, clean sheets, a pillow and a blanket; it looked kind of like a jail cell,” Kegerris said.
Kegerris was already starting to feel better by the time her negative test results came back on Oct. 22.
“While I was in isolation I didn’t want to do anything… I basically stared at the white wall[s]. I… didn’t have any labs that week, and I only had one in-person bio class. I contacted my bio professor Monday night telling her I had the sniffles and was going to get tested just in case. She told me even if I just had the sniffles to not come to class, and to call in through Zoom,” Kegerris said.
Kegerris ordered groceries through Family Fresh before going into isolation, though she also ordered from the Caf meal delivery service.
“I put in an order one day… My food got stolen. I know I wasn’t the only person, because there was a note on one of the food carriers talking about [checking] order numbers and making sure you got your own food. Luckily, I was [still] able to eat,” Kegerris said.
Students entering isolation or quarantine are told to pack for ten days, in the hopes that if they do test positive they won’t need to do any laundry, where they could come into contact with other healthy students. Students are also asked to strip their beds before they leave so custodial services can come in, do laundry, and clean the space.
“I knew [custodial service] spent a couple hours cleaning every day because I’d hear them and you weren’t allowed to come out of your room while they were cleaning,” Kegerris said.
Despite being isolated with other students, Kegerris’s experience was relatively quiet.
“I saw one person when I was getting my groceries, and I heard a few people talking outside my room. I saw one person when I went to the bathroom one time but other than that most people stayed in their rooms,” Kegerris said.
The framework for campus quarantine and isolation was developed over the summer, though it is still changing and evolving along with conditions on campus. Case managers consulted with local public health agencies and the Minnesota Department of Health while creating these plans.
“Higher education institutions everywhere didn’t have a model. We really had to build it from the ground up. What we really tried to do was look at the existing frameworks and resources we already had for student support and communication, and then partner with our Health Service team. We had to build a framework we knew would change… every decision we made would set a precedent,” Lead COVID-19 Case Manager Lynnea Eckhoff said.
“We’re keeping our numbers low and things contained, which means that we’re being pretty aggressive about moving people and getting them into quarantine,” Eckhoff said.
“A lot of the time what we’re finding with students is that a lot of them are sick of hearing about COVID-19, but when it’s you, suddenly have a lot of questions. It’s scary, some students are frustrated, or angry, or embarrassed… sometimes they’re a little unnerved or scared because they’re not sure where they got COVID-19, and were being safe… I think friends, their case manager, [and] other people are there to provide support for those students,” Taylor said.
To help battle the feelings of loneliness, the ROAR team plans to start working on care packages to anonymously send to students in isolation and quarantine.
“It would be a nice reminder that we haven’t forgotten about them… Our community has been doing a remarkable job with COVID-19 safety measures and have allowed us so far to not have any huge surges on campus,” Taylor said.
“It is definitely kind of lonely… I kind of felt like I was escaping jail cell when I left,” Kegerris said.
The campus response to COVID-19 cases requires collaborative efforts from many departments in order to provide a safe, clean, and functioning environment for students.
“I’m super grateful for our Food Service for figuring out how to deliver food to people, for our custodial staff who’s doing extra cleaning and services for those spaces. I’m grateful for Campus Safety, who’s helping us transport students… GTS for helping us boost the Wi-Fi for those spaces and having resources for those students, and faculty for being flexible. I am amazed that there is no part of campus this doesn’t touch, and that everyone has responded to it,” Eckhoff said.