Student Health Services Office Ainsley Francis/The Olaf Messenger
As spring approaches, colleges across the country, including St. Olaf, have seen a resurgence of COVID-19 on campuses. On March 7, Chemical Hygiene Officer Patrick Ceas sent a campus-wide email about new and revised Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines and how they will affect life on the Hill.
According to the CDC, an individual with COVID-19 can end isolation and return to normal activities after 24 hours have passed if the individual’s symptoms are getting better without a fever, regardless of whether or not the individual is testing positive. However, due to how easily contagious respiratory viruses are, this does not apply to large gathering spaces such as hospitals, nursing houses, and especially residential college campuses.
The email says that if an individual tests positive for COVID-19, the College still requires a five-day isolation period in a dorm or an isolated area in order to reduce the risk of spreading the sickness across campus. Typical signs of COVID-19 can include a cough, runny or stuffy nose, headaches, fatigue, chills, and fever.
The College advises students to reach out to professors as soon as possible if class time is missed due to illness. Students are encouraged not to attend any in-person gatherings until symptoms have gone away. For symptomatic individuals, masking with N95s, KN95s, and KF94s is highly recommended.
Free COVID-19 tests are available at the Health Services Center and the Wellness Center. Occasionally, tests will be handed out in front of Stav Hall as well.
