COVID Protocol
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With the rollout of COVID vaccinations and lifting of COVID mask mandates, schools nationwide have transitioned back to in-person classes through the use of weekly testing and monitoring. School districts in Maryland, New York, Illinois, and California are just a few states offering regular and mandatory testing. In addition to vaccination requirements, the CDC has also implemented free self-testing nasal or saliva testing kits that provide test results to the individual digitally within 24-48 hours. This accessible and fast form of testing has allowed many students to quarantine appropriately and within a timely manner. However, the question remains: how effective have these tests been to limit the amount of COVID cases?
Los Angeles, one of California’s COVID hotspots, recently transitioned back to in-person lectures by adhering strongly to the provided CDC guidelines. For example, UCLA requires students, faculty, and staff to get self-tested using saliva self-testing kits that are offered for free in vending machines across campus. To access public facilities and participate in school events or organizations, both students and faculty have actively monitored symptom monitoring surveys to limit the amount of cases across campus. Since the start of UCLA’s Fall quarter, there has been a total of 106 confirmed positive students cases. Universities across the country have also implemented similar guidelines in not only monitoring the amount of cases, but providing step-by-step precautions to take when in contact with a COVID-positive individual. In the case that a student tests positive, faculty and students are immediately notified with a comprehensive list of areas on campus in which infected individuals visited in addition to the student undergoing a mandatory quarantine. Faculty has accommodated most college students with assignment deadline extensions as well as pre-recorded lectures.
Despite these strides in the right direction and the careful monitoring of COVID amongst students, there is a looming fear of another uptick in cases nearing the holiday and flu season. For now, the current protocol followed by schools across the U.S. have appropriately limited the amount of COVID cases while providing a worthwhile education for students.
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