On Aug. 11, Elizabethtown College COVID Task Force sent an email out communicating the new updates to the COVID-19 regulations for the College campus due to the changes the Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommended. This affects all students, faculty and visitors that would be coming onto the Etown campus. These updated regulations include new instructions on handling the COVID-19 virus. A few of these instructions include what to do if an individual tests positive, when an individual should isolate or quarantine and guidelines for wearing a mask.
To be more specific, when an individual tests positive for COVID-19, they will need to move off-campus until a five-day period is up and symptoms are alleviated. Once symptoms are alleviated and the College clears the individual to return, they are still required to wear a mask for the next five days when in public. When contact traced, individuals, no matter their vaccination status, will not need to quarantine but are required to wear a mask up to 10 days from when last contacted when out in public spaces. In addition, these contact-traced individuals will need to take a COVID-19 test five days after they were exposed.
This change directly impacts Etown students, faculty and visitors and how their routines may be altered if exposed to COVID-19. Sophomore Madeline Dunham said, “I like that it has loosened up a bit and we have more freedom.”
Another student, sophomore Makennah Hoffman, said, “Necessarily, it’s a good thing and a bad thing, I guess, it has been more prevalent on campus. However, I think that your choice of wearing a mask, that’s where it gets iffy and not iffy.” In addition to that statement, Hoffman also said, “If it happens to get worse, then I feel like we should all wear masks.”
The students at the College have multiple opinions on this new update on COVID-19 regulations. To elaborate on these changes and why they are happening, the Etown COVID Task Force stated, “The College believes that the contact tracing process we’ve established, along with our isolation and quarantine procedures, will effectively mitigate the number of cases of COVID-19 on campus.”
To go along with that statement, the COVID Task Force communicated that, “Should any local or national trends indicate a need for a change in policies, the College will communicate those immediately.” Overall, they are showing that the College has the best interest in keeping the students, faculty and visitors safe when on campus.
Information on who to contact depending on the situation was also included in the email sent out by the COVID Task Force. For any individual who is experiencing symptoms, call Elizabethtown College Student Health at 717-588-1059. The hours for Student Health Center, 7:45 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays, 7:45 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays and 7:45 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Fridays, were indicated for anyone who is unfamiliar with them. Finally, if any questions arise when wondering what to do, the College directs everyone to Campus Security. Any additional information on the new regulations and who to contact can be found under the COVID-19 tab on the Etown website, etown.edu/covid/community-updates.aspx.
