Testing and isolating: COVID-19 protocols on Florida Tech’s campus

Tessa Dury | Staff Writer

“The pandemic response team reports that since the start of the semester to Sept. 23, three students who live on campus have tested positive for COVID-19 and seven students off campus have tested positive,” Krishna Patel, director of student wellness and programming at Florida Tech said.

Students who test positive for COVID-19 that live on the Florida Tech campus must isolate in specific dorms in Southgate or move off campus and back to their homes to isolate. 

Students should decide on their accommodation plans at the time they receive their positive test results, as isolation should begin without interruption.

The campus response team encourages students that must travel by plane to get to their homes to stay in the Southgate dorms.

“I’m not a fan about it because they are not constantly monitored and could leave their rooms,” said Southgate resident Daniel Liyuan, a senior studying mechanical engineering, “I feel okay about it though, because I know I can take care of myself.” 

Liyuan said that is both the responsibility of the school as a whole, and of individual students to be responsible and safe. 

Patel said that the Holzer Health Center has new protocols in place for the protection of students, as well as the Health Center staff.  

At this time, students who are presenting symptoms can be tested while remaining in their vehicles outside of the center or in an isolated area inside of the building. 

Health Center staff wear full personal protective equipment, or PPE, for any COVID-19 related visits. 

Before a student can schedule a time to be tested for COVID-19 at the Health Center, they must record specific symptoms to the CampusClear app.

Patel views the CampusClear results and follows up with students who indicate any results other than “no symptoms.”

“Our student body has been doing an amazing job adhering to our safety protocols, and we want to provide that recognition,” Patel said.

Editor’s note: This story has been altered from the original version. A previous version stated that the Health Center viewed CampusClear results. This has been corrected to state that Patel views the results. Additional information regarding accommodation plans was added to this story after publishing.