Explainer: Lee University COVID-19 protocols for quarantining and self-isolation
Photo by Senior Photographer Issac Vacheresse
Last school year, Lee University implemented a quarantining process to help ensure students’ comfort and safety while isolating because of COVID-19 exposure or positivity. Due to some confusion about the process, the Lee Clarion team has talked to campus offices to help explain the Lee University procedure.
Academic Services, Student Development, The Hub, Campus Security, Residential Life and Housing and the Lee University Health Clinic are involved in the process of helping students receive meals, transportation, quarantine location options, COVID-19 tests and daily check-ins during quarantine.
The beginning of the quarantine process usually begins with a phone call to a student exposed to COVID-19 or a student sharing they may have symptoms or know someone with symptoms.
“There are a few ways we find out about COVID-19 exposure — the student calls us directly, their roommate or friend might call us or most of the time we find out from the health clinic or they go there for testing specifically,” said Jarad Russell, director of Residential Life and Housing. “If students have to self-isolate, it is good for a student to know their options. I usually encourage students, if possible to do safely, to go home and quarantine because they will be more comfortable there aside from a hotel room.”
In addition to hotels or going home, female students may use Cross Hall as a quarantine option. While on campus in quarantine, students are allowed to use Schimmels Park to walk or exercise.
Brian Conn, director of public relations, said Lee utilizes the Center for Disease Control and the Tennessee Health Department isolation and quarantine calculator to help determine the length of quarantine for students. Conn noted each case varies depending on the advice of medical professionals.
While self-isolating, students receive daily phone calls from an appointed person to check in on their well-being and COVID-19 symptoms. Each department has access to a live spreadsheet to organize information or updates about students in quarantine if they need assistance.
“We have a team of 13 staff members that call or text and check on quarantine students every day. Now, depending on if they’re an on-campus student, the RA is going to call them — if they’re an athlete, the coaches are going to call,” said Stacey York, staff coordinator of student development. “It’s been very helpful, especially for the ones that become pretty ill. They alert me, and I can tell the health clinic.”
Quarantine students have access to a COVID-19 hotline number to use while quarantined for any help they may need with food and hotel service. The hotline number may also be used if a student is showing new or worsening COVID-19 symptoms.
“Our main goal really is to make sure students are taken care of, and we do try our best to do that. Yeah. Whether it be through just the daily touch calls, or the snacks, around rides, laptop delivery, medication deliveries — we’ve done it all,” said York.
