The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Are professors told if their students test positive for COVID? It depends
If a student at a Connecticut college tests positive for COVID-19, contact tracers work to notify those who were in close contact.
But that process may or may not include the student’s college professor, depending on the situation.
All of the Connecticut universities contacted for this story said professors are included in contact tracing if a student tests positive, but that typically only applies if a student was a close contact.
At the University of New Haven, for example, if tracing a student’s contacts reveals a student was closer than six feet to a professor for 15 minutes or more, “they would be considered a contact and asked to quarantine and test per university policy, said Summer McGee.
The university reported nine new cases within the past seven days as of Thursday. UNH has 20 active cases, all among students, with 11 in isolation on campus and nine in isolation off campus.
McGee, who serves as dean of the university’s School of Health Sciences, also said faculty teaching areas in classrooms have been spaced more than six feet apart from students.
That means professors may not necessarily be told to quarantine if a student in their class tests positive.
Jennifer Anderson, a spokeswoman for Fairfield University, said that unless the faculty member is considered a close contact, “they would not have to quarantine.”
To date, she said, no faculty there have had to quarantine due to a student testing positive.
Fairfield University reported nine new cases of
COVID-19 as of Tuesday, the most recent data available from the school’s public dashboard. The school reported 34 active cases, 14 of them on campus.
Deborah Noack, a spokeswoman for Sacred Heart University, also in Fairfield, said faculty “generally do not end up on the close contact lists of students,” because they’ve been told to wear masks at all times and remain six feet apart.
However, anyone who is considered a close contact is included in contact tracing — faculty, staff and students included, she said.
That university reported five new cases (one on campus, one off) Wednesday from testing completed the day before, according to the school’s dashboard. Sacred Heart reported 62 active cases.
Faculty also may not be informed by the school if a student in their class tests positive.
At the University of Connecticut, students who test positive are advised to let their professors know they will not be able to attend class due to illness.
However, “they are not compelled to disclose their protected medical information,” the university’s contact tracing team said in response to an email from Hearst Connecticut Media.
McGee said the University of New Haven notifies faculty when students are placed in isolation or quarantine. She said the school does not share medical information with faculty, but does inform them how long students will be absent for.
Anderson said Fairfield University faculty are informed a student will be absent “for health reasons.”
UConn’s tracing team said given the university’s classroom safety protocols “a close-contact scenario is an unlikely event and hasn’t occurred to date.”
UConn reported three new cases among Storrs students Thursday. One was a residential student, two were living off campus, according to Stephanie Reitz, a spokeswoman for the university. There are currently 17 students on campus in isolation after testing positive or showing symptoms.
Southern Connecticut
State University in New Haven reported seven new cases between Sunday and Tuesday, the school’s dashboard shows— one among residential students, six among commuter students. The school has reported 59 cases in total so far this semester.
Albertus Magnus College, also in New Haven, reported nine new cases last week. Six students are in isolation on and off campus.
Quinnipiac University in Hamden reported eight new cases Wednesday since their public dashboard was last updated Monday.
“Five of the cases are off-campus students, and three are residential students; several of the new cases have opted to return home to isolate,” Quinnipiac officials said in a message posted online. There are currently 27 people in isolation there.
Wesleyan University in Middletown reported three new positive tests this week bringing the total number of active cases there to six— four among employees, two among students.
Connecticut College in New London reported one new case among employees and three new cases among students this week. Their active caseload sits at seven, with three students and four employees.
Yale University in New Haven reported four new cases Tuesday, the most recent day’s test results available. Two of those cases were among students, the other two were among faculty and staff. Yale has seen 88 cases so far this semester— 59 among students, the remaining 29 among faculty and staff.
Trinity College in Hartford reported five new cases so far this week, bringing the school’s total caseload to seven, all among students