More than 70 students released from quarantine this week

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More than 70 students released from quarantine this week
Hillsdale College | Collegian

As fall break approaches, more than 70 students have been released from quarantine and only 35 remain in contact isolation. 

There are four active cases of COVID-19 among students on campus and 17 resolved cases, according to a statement made by the college on Wednesday morning. There are two students in isolation currently awaiting test results. 

With the majority of cases resolved and many quarantines completed this last week, Director of Health and Wellness Brock Lutz said students must remain diligent regarding their health, especially during fall break.

We are not requiring students to remain on campus for fall or Thanksgiving breaks, but we have been encouraging it in order to avoid an increase in transmissions,” Lutz said. 

Although the college has always remained open for fall break in the past, it has required students to leave campus for other holiday breaks. Dining halls and student residences typically close during long breaks, but this year, due to student concern about leaving campus, the school is keeping dorms and the Knorr Family Dining Room open over Thanksgiving break. 

“We have had a good number of students asking if they can stay,” Lutz said. “The college is making accommodations for that to work.”

For fall break this week, Knorr Dining Hall will operate under limited hours, but will still be open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. According to a newsletter sent by the Student Activities Office, AJ’s Cafe  and all Grab’N’Go locations will be closed over fall break.

Over the break, students will still have access to health services, according to the newsletter. While no in-person doctor or nurse will be on campus Thursday or Friday, on-call nurses will be available throughout the week, a resource Associate Dean of Women Rebekah Dell said she hopes students will use.

“If ill, it is important to continue to notify health services, practice good hygiene, and remain dutiful in avoiding any unnecessary opportunities for exposure or sharing germs,” Dell said in an email.

Additionally, students are encouraged to visit either Jonesville Health Care Plus or the Hillsdale Health and Wellness walk-in health clinics if they feel sick.

Dormitories and dining options will be available over Thanksgiving break, as well.

“Students are encouraged to remain on campus to reduce opportunities for exposure to the virus and increase the personal chance of getting sick and the potential spread on campus,” Dell said. “We are encouraged by the response from the college community to take actions that will help slow the spread of the virus and the resulting lower positive cases this past week.”