What To Expect When You Come In Close-Contact

Written by Josie Moriarty

As COVID-19 cases rise at Boston University and around the country, more BU students are being placed into isolation and quarantine housing on campus. The possibility of being placed into quarantine or isolation housing is a dread all on-campus students are facing, myself included.

On Monday, October 26th, I got the call all BU students fear: that I had come into close-contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 and would have to move into quarantine housing for the next two weeks.

I did not know what to anticipate going into quarantine at BU, so I created a guide for what to expect when you come into close contact with someone who has tested positive for the coronavirus on campus.

The Call

The initial call is the most dreadful part of the BU quarantine experience. There are many uncertainties, and everything feels stressful and urgent.

Despite the stress, contact-tracers and BU Healthway do everything possible to comfort you through the transition and give direct instructions on how the process will work.

First, contact tracers call you to inform you that you were identified as coming into close contact with another student who tested positive for the coronavirus. They inform you that you need to quarantine for 14 days, and if you live on-campus must move to the designated quarantine housing at either 575 Commonwealth Ave, or 1047 Commonwealth Ave.

There are then a series of calls that follow. If you identify any symptoms, such as sore throat, BU Healthway will then call you to go through your symptoms and set you up with triage, so that they can closely monitor your symptoms while you quarantine.

Later, you get the final call from Residence Life, telling you what address you will be staying at and navigating you through what the two weeks will look like and when your quarantine period will end.

I was moved to 575 Commonwealth Ave, or better known as Hojo. I packed all the essentials; my books, sweatpants and pajamas and my comforter, and lugged my things over to my new home for two weeks.

The calls did not stop after the first day. Contact-tracers and Healthway communicate with you frequently during your stay in quarantine housing. As uncertain and helpless as the situation may feel at times, there are numerous people to contact when you feel you need answers.

The Food

The food situation is another great uncertainty upon entering quarantine housing. Before arriving, I felt panicked, wondering, “will they feed me well?” or “should I have packed more food?”

In retrospect, the food should have been the least of my concerns. Residence Life and BU Dining provide an abundance of food throughout your stay.

When you enter your temporary residence, you will find two large cardboard boxes filled with non perishable food, including granola bars, cereal, microwavable macaroni and cheese, ramen, popcorn, and more. Then, you are provided with two hot meals that can be microwaved, two salads, bread, deli meat, butter, milk, etc.

Because you can not leave your room during your stay, it is impossible for there to be the delivery option everyday; however, Fridays are the designated delivery day. You have the option to have food delivered to your temporary residence and then an employee drops the food off at your door. Though food deliveries may seem mundane, it is a genuine treat at the end of the week.

The food supply is endless, and you can always request more if you are dissatisfied.

COVID Tests

You are still required to take your twice-weekly COVID-19 tests while you are in quarantine. This may seem confusing initially, since you are not permitted to leave your room at all during the two-week period; but, alas the tests come to you.

As part of your welcome package, you are provided with four COVID tests in plastic biohazard bags. You are later contacted by Healthway to set up your first test, which is conducted via zoom.

For each test, you must meet with a nurse through a telehealth appointment on zoom, where they guide you through the remote testing experience.

Similar to the on-campus testing sites, you are required to sanitize your hands, then remove the covid test from its packaging. You swab each nostril five times and then cap your test. The only challenging aspect of remote testing is positioning your test close enough to the camera and at the correct angle so that your telehealth provider can scan the barcode through the screen.

After each test, you must seal them back in their biohazard bags, and then hang them outside your door, where someone will come later in the day to collect them and transfer them to the lab.

The process is simple, and efficient and results are always available immediately the next morning before 8am.

The Boredom

To their credit, BU works very hard to make the quarantine period as painless as possible. Many resources are available if you need something that was not provided, have symptoms, or just need answers to questions. Many people check in on you daily, and are kind and understanding of the unideal situation you’re in.

Nevertheless, boredom and loneliness in quarantine is inevitable. It was hard being confined to the same four walls for 14 days and going without any actual human contact. Classes and school work can only occupy you for a certain amount of time, and even Netflix becomes boring and tedious.

I am fortunate and never tested positive during my stay. Although the process is essentially the same for those who test positive, it would be even worse to have to deal with the isolation and boredom while also getting over a virus.

Be extra cautious regarding COVID-19 safety precautions.

Wash your hands, wear your mask, keep your circle very small and social distance when possible. Although it is not as terrible as it may seem, be cautious and diligent in maintaining your health so that you can avoid quarantine housing.