WWU tells students what they must do for COVID-19 safety when they return to campus
Mandatory COVID-19 testing, daily symptom checks and masks will be required for the estimated 1,800 students who will attend classes each day on the Western Washington University campus this fall quarter, according to information released by the college on Friday, Aug. 28.
The details lay out what students and faculty can expect heading into Sept. 23, the first day of classes for a scaled-back fall quarter — a decision that was announced at the end of July because of what was then a significant increase in COVID-19 cases nationally.
“While we had hoped to offer more classes in person, the alarming rise in infection rates both locally and nationally made it clear that those plans were not viable for fall if we are to keep the health and safety of students, faculty, staff and the community as our guiding principle,” WWU President President Sabah Randhawa said in the Friday post to students and their families.
That means that about 90% of Western’s classes will be online in fall. A few classes will be in-person, such as hands-on labs and applied performance, Western said.
Here’s the newest information about what to expect for fall from information provided by Randhawa and the university.
How many students will be taking classes at Western in Bellingham?
There will be about 1,800 students on campus taking classes in person, compared to about 15,000 students before the pandemic.
About 1,300 are expected to live in on-campus dorms. Before COVID-19 about 4,000 students lived on campus.
How many students will be living off-campus, in the community?
That’s not yet known, according to WWU spokesman Paul Cocke.
“We likely will not have any numbers on off-campus students until fall registration is completed,” Cocke said to The Bellingham Herald.
“Also, there is a complication in that many students use their parents’ or family address as their permanent address but then do not update their address as they move off-campus,” he said in an email. “This becomes especially complicated during a pandemic when many students have decided to live at home, while others will continue living in Bellingham year-round.”
What are the COVID-19 testing requirements for students?
They must be tested five to seven days before moving into the residence halls or starting classes on campus. They must provide those results to the Student Health Center.
On the day they move into on-campus housing, they will be tested again before unloading their stuff.
Testing will be ongoing for those on campus, using a surveillance testing model to look for “pockets” of people who might be infected with the virus. It will be done at no cost to students, even if they don’t have insurance.
Randhawa explains: “We’ll test household groups or social bubbles, such as people who live in the same on-campus housing floor or attend class together. Students can expect to be tested about once every two weeks throughout fall quarter, but we may test more frequently depending on the results and community spread.”
Testing is mandatory for students who live, go to class or work on campus, and want to continue doing so.
What if a student tests positive?
The university is setting aside about 160 rooms in the residence halls for students who live on campus and need to quarantine or isolate because they tested positive, have symptoms or came into contact with someone who tested positive.
Students who live off-campus will need to do so where they live, or return to their permanent residence if they can safely.
What about masks?
Students, employees and visitors must wear a cloth face covering when inside a building on campus or university vehicle, unless they’re alone.
Face coverings should be worn outdoors as well, and are mandatory when people can’t maintain at least a 6-foot distance from others.
How will daily symptom checks be done?
The health screenings are a must for those who live, work or take class on campus. They also are required for visitors.
Students will do them online at MyWesternHealth. They will receive a reminder each night to fill out the health survey in order to be cleared to go on campus the next day.
Additional details are at wwu.edu/fall-guide/health-safety.
This story was originally published August 29, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
