By Tom Kersten
In a pivot of University policy, students who test positive to Covid will from today be able to isolate in their own rooms, instead of being moved to self-contained apartments in ANU’s dedicated quarantine facility.
This latest development comes as multiple Covid outbreaks hit the University community.
The new guidelines will apply to all students, regardless of their room type. This means students who live in shared facilities, such as Wright and Bruce Hall, can continue to stay in their room.
Students who test positive will receive an email outlining requirements and precautions they must take during their isolation period. These consist of:
If you are in a room off a corridor and use shared facilities:
- You must stay in your room at all times except in an emergency or to go to the bathroom.
- You must not leave your room or enter any shared areas such as kitchenettes, common rooms, dining rooms, etc.
- You must wear a P2/N95 mask without a valve whenever you leave your room (e.g. to use the bathroom) or when you open your door to receive deliveries
- You will be assigned a bathroom on your floor to use which only COVID positive residents will use. You should also clean the bathroom after use by wiping down surfaces with the provided cleaning supplies. You are not allowed to use any other bathrooms.
- Meals and other deliveries will be brought up to your door and delivered contactless. This means that you must wait for the staff to leave the corridor before opening your door to accept it. Remember to wear a P2/N95 mask.
If you are in a multishare apartment, you must maintain appropriate separation from your roommates:
- You must avoid common areas of the household – if unavoidable, wear a mask when in common areas and clean the area with detergent and disinfectant after use
- You must wear a P2/N95 mask without a valve whenever you leave your room (e.g. to use the bathroom) or when you open your door
- You should use a separate bathroom if available, or clean a shared bathroom after each use
- You must not spend time in the same room with anyone else.
- You must stay in your apartment at all times except in an emergency
- Your roommates must quarantine as household contacts
In an email sent to all students, Susan Helyar (Director of Residential Experience) said these revised isolation rules would “mean less disruption to you in a critical point in your studies as well as to ensure you get to stay in your community and home”.
Helyar assures students “our measures will ensure anyone on the same floor as you who is not COVID positive is able to live safely alongside you”.
An ANU Spokesperson told Observer these changes are not due to ANU’s Quarantine Facility being fully occupied.
During a Q&A Forum held yesterday, a University official said students would not have the option to move to a dedicated quarantine facility, even if they preferred this option.
This is due to “insufficient alternative accommodation” the official said.
As recently as late January the University described dormitory style accommodation as “not suitable for longer periods of quarantine of a few days or longer, unless all other residents on that floor are also in quarantine”.
