Former GE HQ now home to quarantined students from SHU

Once the global headquarters of General Electric, the 66-acre property in Fairfield is now housing Sacred Heart University students quarantined due to COVID-19.

The school’s “guest house” on Easton Turnpike is being used to quarantine students coming from states on Gov. Ned Lamont’s travel advisory list. Once the rest of the students arrive next week, those who test positive for the coro

navirus or have been exposed will also self-isolate there for 14 days if they are unable to return to their family’s home.

Other Connecticut colleges plan to follow a similar process by quarantining students in a specific building or area.

At the University of Connecticut, at least 30 students have been quarantined for either testing positive for the coronavirus or having been exposed. The school announced Wednesday four new positive cases.

There are eight on-campus students and three living off-campus who have tested positive for the coronavirus. There are also two COVID-19 cases among faculty and staff.

Stephanie Reitz, a UConn spokeswoman, said the school has set aside space in residence halls where those who become sick “can recover and receive care.” She said there is also space for students who believe they have been exposed to the virus to self-quarantine while they await test results.

Some UConn students have also been removed from campus housing as the school investigates a dorm party that may have violated COVID-19 safety measures.

At least one UConn student says the safety precautions have not been taken seriously since the campus reopened last weekend.

“As an overarching theme, the precautions themselves are reasonable, but it’s the student body’s lack of following them that’s the problem,” freshman Luke Udell told Hearst Connecticut Media.

Although it’s been less than a week, Udell wonders if having students on campus was the right move.

“UConn is doing what it can to make us safe, but the best solution would have been for us to not be on campus at all,” he said.

Some schools nationwide like the University of North Carolina and the University of Notre Dame have suspended in-person classes after spikes of coronavirus cases. But schools in Connecticut say switching to remote learning will likely be a decision made in coordination with the local or state health departments.

For now, most Connecticut schools are still awaiting students to arrive for the semester.

A spokesman for the Connecticut State Colleges & Universities — which includes Western Connecticut in Danbury and Southern Connecticut in New Haven — said all of their schools submitted detailed plans about how they would handle possible cases.

“In general, the universities have set aside at least 10 percent of residence hall space to accommodate residential students who need to quarantine,” said Leigh Appleby, director of communications for the Connecticut State Colleges & Universities. “The universities also have contact tracing programs in place to mitigate the spread on campus.”

For example, Western Connecticut State University has a detailed plan for what happens if someone tests positive. According to its plan, the school has cleared out a residence hall, Fairfield Hall, to accommodate those who need to be isolated or quarantined.

“The layout of the building allows for the safe, physical separation of the two groups,” the plan reads.

The university is encouraging students who test positive to isolate at home. Fairfield Hall is reserved for those with “demonstrated and/or documented hardship.” Those isolated in the facility will be monitored daily through telemedicine visits administered by WCSU’s Health Services Department. The university is seeking an agency to conduct the observations on weekends.

Southern Connecticut State University also has reserved facilities for COVID-positive students needing to isolate. According to the plan, SCSU has designated 36 units to house students who need to be quarantined. The units — which can each house up to four students with two students per bathroom — have a total capacity for 144.

“If additional space is needed, Residential Life will work with the COVID-19 coordinator to determine how to meet the need,” the plans reads. “Students will not share a bedroom space or bathroom if their health condition warrants private accommodations.”

At the University of Bridgeport, all residential students will be tested as they move onto campus or are required to provide a negative test result within 14 days of arrival. Additionally, all faculty and staff who work directly with students will be required to test on campus, or provide a negative test result.

Like most colleges, UB will test 10 percent of the campus population each week.

At UConn’s Stamford campus, capacity at student residences — which is usually capped at 450 — is now limited to 265.

Students have been placed in a precautionary quarantine before classes begin Aug. 31 and all students have been tested for COVID-19.

Students also take a daily symptom survey. Those without symptoms are able to leave their residence to pick up meals from designated dining halls, and engage in limited outdoor activities with other members of their designated “family pods” beginning Thursday.