What colleges can do to halt spread

How can colleges stop COVID-19 from spreading? Is that really possible?

Although many colleges and universities are working hard to welcome students back safely in conjunction with official health guidelines, there is no guarantee students won’t get sick.

When and if students return to campus, they can expect requirements depending on their school and state, with temperature checks, swab tests and social distancing requirements a given.

At Vassar College, students will be expected to stay on campus for the entire 12-week fall semester in an effort to mitigate the virus.

Drexel University, New York University and the University of Hawaii, which are all offering face-to-face and virtual instruction, will require students arriving from “hot spot” states such as California to self-quarantine for 14 days before arriving on campus.

At Illinois Wesleyan University, classes begin a week early to complete the fall semester before the holidays.

Codes of conduct at schools including Purdue University will mandate the use of face masks in hallways, elevators, dorms, public spaces and classrooms. Dining will be largely grab-and-go with social distancing in cafeterias. Students who want to have a roommate can expect to sign a liability waiver.

And to provide ample breathing room for students and staff, many schools will host small classes in large auditoriums along with classes on Saturday and holidays.

It’s critically important that schools have a solid plan for testing, contact tracing, quarantine and treatment, said Pardis Sabeti, professor of immunology and infectious diseases at Harvard University.

“We must acknowledge that if the infection ever reaches the school, it could spread like wildfire,” she said.

“Ultimately, we want to be able to create a sort of cocoon around the school and a buffer to understand how and where infections might reach school grounds through the external relationships of the students and staff. Of course, given everything that is going on, it sounds highly infeasible to bring schools back.”