UNF Housing has sent an update on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) COVID-19 isolation and quarantine guidelines to all Osprey residents detailing updates to the previous policy. In the email, UNF stresses that there will again be no spaces available on-campus for students to isolate or quarantine.

A recurring theme from the past semester, UNF restated that they will “not be able to provide other housing options on or off-campus to isolate or quarantine” due to a significant on-campus residential population. 

“Students and their family/support network should discuss this and develop a personal plan for this possible situation as on-campus space for isolation and quarantine will not be an option,” reads the email.

What to do if you live on campus and need to isolate or quarantine

UNF referenced the guidelines in the UNF Housing Contract/ Resident Handbook for this protocol. They say that residents must comply with UNF’s instructions regarding quarantining, isolation, and separation and how, at any time, UNF can request or require a resident to leave housing when their presence becomes a health risk for the community.

“Residents are required to comply with requests from Housing and Residence Life to leave their assigned space due to COVID-19 or other public health emergencies, and failure to do so is a violation of their Housing Contract and may subject them to emergency removal from their assigned spaces,” read the email.

What to do if you test positive for COVID-19

UNF urges people who test positive for coronavirus to isolate themselves for at least five days. After the fifth day, if they are fever-free without the use of fever-reducing medicine, and aren’t exhibiting symptoms, they should wear a mask indoors around others for another five days, including at home.

What to do if you are exposed to COVID-19

Taking the time to quarantine is recommended for everyone, including those who are fully vaccinated but not boosted. People who are outside of the six-month window following the Pfizer/Moderna vaccines, or two months following the J&J vaccine, should quarantine too, says UNF.

Quarantine for those exposed to COVID-19 includes five days from exposure plus another five days of wearing a mask when indoors/around others, including at home, read the UNF email. It is recommended to get tested for the virus on the fifth day.

People who are boosted or within six months of Pfizer/Moderna vaccines, or two months of J&J vaccine, do not need to quarantine but should wear a mask around others for 10 days. It is recommended to get tested for the virus on the fifth day, UNF says.

UNF recommends that students continue to take precautions to avoid spreading the virus. 

“With the emergence of the Omicron variant, ongoing efforts to protect ourselves and each other are critical, including getting vaccinated and receiving boosters when eligible,” UNF Housing stated.

The new year kicked off with The Washington Post reporting, last week, that the U.S. had reached the highest seven-day average of new coronavirus cases than at any point of the pandemic. The seven-day average increased by 82 percent compared to the previous week, according to the Washington Post’s calculations.

On New Years Day, the Miami Herald reported that last Friday, Dec. 31, 2021, had the largest single-day coronavirus case increase in Florida since the pandemic began. 

UNF says that they will continue to monitor guidance from the CDC and want to share recent updates to their COVID-19 isolation and quarantine guidelines.

More information on the CDC guidelines can be found here.

Spinnaker will keep the UNF community updated on future UNF COVID-19 policy changes.

___

For more information or news tips, or if you see an error in this story or have any compliments or concerns, contact editor@unfspinnaker.com.