On March 12, 2020, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the U.S. exceeded one thousand. Two weeks later, the number of confirmed cases jumped to 100,000. By May 27, 2020, that was the number of those who died from COVID-19.
In the meantime, everyone’s life was upended. How has COVID affected college students? Colleges and universities had to close their doors to stop the spread of the virus. Learning went completely online, with both staff and students having to quickly adapt to spending hours on Zoom calls. Social distancing, face masks, and frequent testing became part of everyday life.
In late spring of 2020, colleges and universities had to figure out whether they’d reopen their campuses for the fall term and how to do it safely if they did. Here’s a throwback to all the measures that higher education institutions took to keep students, faculty, and staff safe and healthy.
Planning and Preparation for Reopening
Before reopening, higher education institutions had to assess COVID-19 risks associated with studying and on-campus housing. The CDC provided a breakdown of risks, as follows:
- Lowest risk: Remote learning only; closed residence halls
- Intermediate risk: Small in-person activities with social distancing; reopened residence halls at lower capacity, closed shared spaces
- High risk: Traditional learning (full-sized in-person activities with no social distancing; residence halls open at full capacity, along with shared spaces)
To curb the spread of the virus, colleges and universities implemented several strategies, such as:
- Requesting students and staff who tested positive or experienced symptoms to stay home and self-isolate before traveling to campus
- Requiring everyone on campus to test regularly and self-isolate if they test positive or were in contact with someone who did
- Encouraging regular handwashing and providing sufficient supplies for it (soap, paper towels, etc.)
- Setting up hand-sanitizing points if handwashing isn’t feasible
- Reinforcing the use of face masks or cloth face coverings and providing PPE to those in need
- Communicating the policies on COVID-19 prevention and steps to take in case of illness to students, faculty, and staff
How has COVID affected your plans for college? Students had to rethink their academic paths, housing choices, or travel plans.
Maintaining a Healthy Environment for Everyone
The virus could spread via touch as much as air. Therefore, ensuring a healthy environment meant, in broad strokes:
- Disinfecting shared objects and frequently touched surfaces
- Ventilating interior spaces as often as possible
- Enforcing social distancing and putting up barriers where it’s not possible
- Preventing the sharing of objects and spaces when possible
Door handles, handrails, dining hall tables, drinking fountains — all these and other surfaces had to be regularly cleaned and disinfected throughout the campus. To that end, colleges and universities created strict cleaning schedules and invested in extra cleaning products and labor required.
While interior ventilation systems did their part in enabling the circulation of air, opening windows was still a more effective approach. So, colleges and universities instructed staff and students to open windows and/or doors regularly to let the outdoor air in.
Finally, to maintain social distancing and keep everyone at least six feet apart, colleges and universities had to modify classroom and lecture hall layouts. Spacing seating and desks, in turn, meant the rooms could accommodate fewer students, which required downsizing classes.
To help students follow the social distancing policies, physical guides like tape on floors were put in place. Sneeze guards and partitions protected staff where social distancing wasn’t feasible (e.g., at cash registers).
Keeping Students & Staff Safe During the Term
Remote learning was the main tool colleges and universities used to keep studying safe for everyone involved. But lectures and seminars weren’t the only activities that went online. Any group events, gatherings, or meetings were held online whenever possible, and that included student support services.
If a virtual setting wasn’t an option for a certain activity, colleges and universities had to limit the number of participants and ensure there was enough space to maintain social distancing. Campuses also became (mostly) closed systems as institutions limited nonessential visitors and activities involving external partners.
To facilitate communication, colleges and universities appointed a designated COVID-19 point of contact. This person or office was responsible for responding to COVID-19 concerns and monitoring the health of students and staff. For example, they kept track of positive cases, processed notifications about those experiencing symptoms, and managed the modalities of self-isolation.
Going into quarantine could be a stressful decision for staff and students. To make sure no one would be disincentivized from reporting their symptoms or testing results, colleges and universities made their sick leave and excused absence policies more flexible. As staff absences were going to be more frequent, institutions also cross-trained staff and created a backup roster to ensure continuity of their services.
Handling COVID-19 Cases
On campus, positive cases weren’t a question of if, but when. That’s why colleges and universities needed a clear framework of policies and procedures to handle them. In practice, it involved:
- Providing a dedicated area, space, or housing for quarantining those experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, testing positive for the virus, or having been in close contact with someone who did
- Allowing the quarantined staff and students to work or study remotely until they can return to in-person activities
- Establishing procedures for safely transporting those presenting severe symptoms to a healthcare facility
- Closing off areas used by a quarantined person for 24 hours and swiftly disinfecting them after that time window
- Notifying local health officials about positive cases to help them track the overall COVID-19 statistics
- Notifying any staff or student who was in contact with the infected person about the positive case, all while protecting their privacy in line with regulations
As some showed no severe symptoms while infected with COVID-19, colleges and universities had to establish a policy to ensure no positive cases could escape detection. That included regular testing, temperature screenings, and daily health checks or self-checks.
Working with Vulnerable Groups to Protect Them
Certain categories of the population were at a higher risk of complications from COVID-19. Common risk factors included:
- Aged 65 and older
- Chronic lung disease
- Moderate to severe asthma
- Serious heart conditions
- Immunocompromised
- Diabetes
- Chronic kidney disease undergoing dialysis
- Liver disease
To protect these higher-risk groups against the infection, colleges and universities offered them remote options for learning or working to reduce the risk of exposure.
That said, the pandemic also gave rise to mental health challenges as many found themselves isolated and stressed by an endless cycle of devastating news. To help students and staff cope with the new normal, colleges and universities offered individual counseling and support. They also went on to encourage staff and students to:
- Limit exposure to news stories and social media
- Maintain a healthy lifestyle in terms of diet, sleeping habits, exercising, and rest
- Find time to unwind when needed
- Contact the national distress hotline if necessary
Monitoring Compliance & Evaluating Effectiveness
Even the most well-thought-out policies and procedures won’t be effective if few comply with them. That’s why colleges and universities had to verify compliance with their COVID response measures.
To that end, they set up regular checks, often unannounced, throughout the campuses to see whether students and staff abided by sanitary rules and social distancing guidelines. During those checks, if certain rules were broken, the staff would intervene to explain the importance of following the established procedures and clarify any confusion about them if necessary.
On top of that, all policies and procedures were reassessed regularly to ensure their effectiveness. To that end, institutions needed data, of course. So, they kept track of positive cases and trends in the collected statistics. Based on that data, colleges and universities adapted their response to account for potential gaps or new trends in the infections.
Besides that, colleges and universities had to stay on high alert regarding CDC guidelines and local measures. If those changed in any way, they had to quickly adapt their own policies and procedures to fall in line with new guidelines or orders.
Ensuring Transparent, Up-to-Date Communication
During the pandemic, misinformation or the simple lack of information could quite literally kill. So, as a trusted source of information, colleges and universities had to take up the responsibility to keep both students and staff informed on how to stay safe themselves and protect others from infection.
Besides, in the early days, the CDC guidelines could shift in a matter of days. Local authorities could also change their anti-COVID measures by imposing or lifting stay-at-home orders, travel restrictions, etc. So, colleges and universities had to both stay on top of those changes themselves and keep students and staff in the loop.
Communication came in multiple forms, including signs and messages in visible locations across the campus and email with updates on policies. They were used to share information on:
- Handwashing and hand sanitizing
- Complying with social distancing measures
- Recognizing COVID-19 symptoms
- Self-isolating when necessary
- Ventilating closed spaces regularly
- Traveling safely
Colleges and universities also encouraged feedback on their communication efforts to improve their effectiveness.
In Closing
The fall semester of 2020 marked the partial reopening of campuses across the nation. Without these measures, the reopening, as limited as it was, wouldn’t have been possible. They were instrumental in keeping everyone safe and limiting the further spread of the virus, ultimately saving lives.
That’s not to say that complying with the CDC guidelines was easy. Colleges and universities had to rethink their operations and invest resources in extra supplies, staff training, and so on. Students, in turn, had to get used to a limited college experience.
As tough and unprecedented as they were, these measures ensured the continuity of higher education. And soon enough, the vaccine rollout paved the way for a return to normal. How does COVID-19 affect you as a student?