When the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign opened its campus for the fall semester in August 2020, it was about five months into a pandemic that already killed more than 154,000 people in the U.S.1 Shortly after the semester began, the school saw up to 89 positive cases of COVID-19 in a single day.2 By the end of August and into the first few days of September, there was a spike with 230 positive cases identified in just one day.3
By the end of the year, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign recorded 4,643 positive cases of COVID-19.4 By December 2020, they had the fourth highest number of COVID-19 cases among colleges in the country.5
Unfortunately, situations like this weren’t uncommon at campuses throughout the country. In fact, there were over 397,000 cases of COVID-19 at more than 1,800 colleges in the U.S. between the start of the pandemic and the end of 2020. 6
Equally troubling is that outbreaks on a college campus can put surrounding communities at risk. A recent study found that college campuses are at high risk of being superspreaders of COVID-19.7 Researchers found that a spike in infections during the first two weeks of college rapidly spread across counties, triggering a peak in new infections throughout neighboring communities.8
As the pandemic has shown, COVID-19 is creating unique challenges for schools. While officials are trying to provide the college experience to students, they also have to balance that with following public health guidelines and recommendations.
From regular testing and contact tracing to quarantining and isolating, keeping campuses safe will take a multi-faceted approach. And as vaccines become more readily available, it’s essential for schools to not ease up on health measures.
“Schools need to be aware of trends, both inside and outside of their campus,” said Dr. Adam L. Seidner, Chief Medical Officer at The Hartford. “From the number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths to variants and guidelines, it’s important for schools to stay vigilant to keep their campuses safe. It’s likely they will need to continue with health measures for the rest of the year.”
Here are five things you can do to help keep your campus and students safe during the pandemic:
1. Follow Health Guidelines and Encourage Healthy Behaviors on Campus
One of the best ways to monitor infections on your college campus is to do regular testing with your staff and students. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends following the same testing guidelines that the American College Health Association proposes: testing the entire campus twice a week with results delivered within 48 hours.9
While these are recommendations, Seidner says some schools are testing even more frequently.
“A lot of schools are testing and the number of tests depend on a student’s cohort and where they live,” Seidner explained. “It’s not uncommon for sports teams to get tested three times a week.”
Seidner added that schools are using other methods to try and control COVID-19 infections on their campus, like:
- Screening questions
- Temperature checks
- Symptom checking
Getting students to follow social distancing guidelines and policies can be hard. It’s important though, in an effort to try to enforce healthy behaviors to limit the spread of infection. Offer enough supplies to students for their personal hygiene, like:
- Soap or hand sanitizer made with at least 60% alcohol
- Paper towels
- Tissues
- Disinfectant wipes
- Masks
- Covered trashcans that can open with a foot pedal
It’s also a good idea to discourage any sharing between students. This can include food, electronic devices and books. During in-person learning, make sure students have access to their own supplies, lab equipment or computers. If sharing has to happen, limit it to one group of students at a time, making sure to clean and disinfect between uses.
You can also post signs with visual cues and simple, clear language in high-traffic areas. These signs should help students and staff understand how to take protective measures to prevent COVID-19.
“There are administrative controls that schools can use to keep their students safe,” Seidner said. “There’s signage they can post, they can limit the size of classrooms or have a staggered presence or hold some courses virtually. All of that needs to be looked at and kept in mind as the pandemic continues.”
2. Know How to Respond if There’s a Positive Case on Campus
If a student tests positive for COVID-19 or they report that they’ve received a positive test result, it’s essential to take immediate action.
School officials should put the student in isolation in their dorm or in a space that’s separated from the rest of the campus for up to 14 days. Many schools have converted some of their dorm buildings or other facilities on campus into spaces specifically meant for isolation or quarantining.
It’s important that the student’s meal plan continues. Coordinate with your food service staff to make sure meals are delivered in a safe way. You can also work with local public health officials to develop a strategy for providing meals to students living on campus who are sick with COVID-19.
Your school should also have a process for contact tracing. This means school officials will notify people or contacts of potential exposure to COVID-19. Students identified as a contact should be put in quarantine for up to 14 days.
“Contact tracing is an effective way to monitor and prevent further spread of COVID-19 on campus,” Seidner emphasized.
3. Avoid Sending Sick Students Home
Since colleges can be superspreaders of COVID-19, the surrounding community faces a risk of infection. A similar situation played out at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
When the school saw a spike in positive cases between Aug. 27 and Sept. 2, 2020, the county’s number of total positive cases nearly tripled over a three week period.10 At a state level, Illinois recorded over 1,893 positive cases in one day on Aug. 23, 2020.11 In the span of a month, Illinois’ total number of positive cases increased 26%, from 220,178 to 279,114.12
Because of how easily and quickly COVID-19 infections can spread from a campus through the nearby community, Seidner recommends not sending sick students home. If it’s possible, have students complete their isolation or quarantine period on campus.
4. Monitor Metrics and Trends
Schools should create a Health and Safety Committee that includes all stakeholders, including:
- Ambientales
- Health
- Seguridad
- Administración
- Education staff
- Operations staff
- Local healthcare providers
This committee should regularly review public health data for the community surrounding the campus to keep track of the current spread of COVID-19. Seidner suggested some key metrics schools should be tracking, like:
- Positive cases in the past two weeks
- Number of deaths due to COVID-19
- Hospitalizations
- Number of positives related to amount of testing
As the trend of positive cases goes down and vaccinations increase, Seidner suggested that it could be a sign that schools can gradually ease up on policies put in place during the pandemic. He emphasized that even though positive cases have dropped, it’s not the time to stop tracking metrics.
“If a school notices there’s a slight increase in positive cases again,” Seidner explained, “they may have to put policies and protocols back in effect to try to keep the campus safe.”
Equally important is tracking the number of positive cases due to variant strains of COVID-19. As of March 2021, there are multiple variants of COVID-19 circulating globally.13 Variants can spread more quickly, with some causing more severe symptoms for certain people. In fact, one variant strain is getting younger people sick, including children.14 In Michigan, Minnesota and Massachusetts, outbreaks occurred in schools.15 And in Florida, COVID-19 cases increased among 18 to 25 year olds in Orange County.16
The severity of variant strains is why Seidner emphasizes the importance of monitoring and data tracking.
“It’s going to make a big difference and has to be taken into account,” Seidner said of COVID-19 variants. “Schools need to know that once a particular strain causes 50% of the positive cases in an area, that’s ripe for a peak to occur. We’re already starting to see some of that.”
If a school knows a variant is the reason behind a spike in positive cases, it can work with the local Department of Health to understand what measures to put in place.
5. Provide Support to Students
One of the many reasons that students decide to live on campus is for the college experience. However, living away from home and having to follow strict protocols during a pandemic can have a significant impact on the mental health of students.
With constant news being shared about the pandemic and the fluctuating number of COVID-19 cases in the U.S., students can feel stressed, anxious or overwhelmed. Encourage them to take breaks from the news and social media while promoting healthy behaviors, like:
- Exercising
- Getting enough sleep
- Finding time to unwind
Be sure to communicate what mental health support services are available, such as remote counseling sessions. You can also post signage that provides the details for national distress hotlines. And remember that students aren’t the only ones who are facing this difficult time. You may want to offer an employee assistance program for faculty and staff to get counseling if they need it.
Taking Care of Your Campus – a Top Priority
Although researchers found college campuses have a high risk of being a superspreader of COVID-19, they applauded the actions taken to try to limit the spread as much as possible.17 As the school year continues, the public health protocols and processes put in place should help schools.
From social distancing to frequent testing and monitoring, these measures can help keep your students and campus safe. The goal is to reduce COVID-19 positive cases on your campus and maintain a low positivity rate to keep both students and the community safe.
At the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the school is seeing improvements during the spring 2021 semester.
As of March 31, 2021, the seven-day average percent of confirmed positive COVID-19 cases was 0.15%.18 And from Jan. 1, 2021 to March 29, 2021, the school recorded 1,799 cases of COVID-19.19
“The policies may change a little bit throughout the year and there’s a lot of things to look at and consider, even as vaccines are rolled out,” Seidner said. “But knowing what the trends in the area look like and how to appropriately respond to a spike in positive cases can ultimately help keep the broader campus and surrounding community safe.”
2, 3, 4, 18, 19 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, “COVID-19 Dashboard”
La información proporcionada en estos materiales brinda información general y de asesoría. It shall not be considered legal advice. The Hartford does not warrant that the implementation of any view or recommendation contained herein will: (i) result in the elimination of any unsafe conditions at your business locations or with respect to your business operations; or (ii) will be an appropriate legal or business practice. The Hartford assumes no responsibility for the control or correction of hazards or legal compliance with respect to your business practices, and the views and recommendations contained herein shall not constitute our undertaking, on your behalf or for the benefit of others, to determine or warrant that your business premises, locations or operations are safe or healthful, or are in compliance with any law, rule or regulation. Readers seeking to resolve specific safety, legal or business issues or concerns related to the information provided in these materials should consult their safety consultant, attorney or business advisors. All information and representations herein are as of April 2021.
