Dr. Fauci says we should keep sick students quarantined on campus
When college kids get COVID-19 and they’re hundreds or thousands of miles from home, they’re going to want to be with their families. Being sick and homesick at the same time is just awful. They’ll want Mom’s chicken soup and other comfort foods that only a mother can give.
But Dr. Fauci says that colleges should NOT send students sick with COVID-19 back home. Instead colleges are now required to take care of the sick students by quarantining them and giving them medical attention. And they should! Imagine what would happen if thousands of students with COVID-19 travelled across city, state, or even continental lines? The college students alone could create the 2nd wave.
Many of the colleges that opened up their campuses to students this fall made these decisions based on the financial health of the institution. Some colleges share the responsibility of managing dorms and food services with third parties or partners. With pressure from business partners to fill the dorms, many colleges invited students back for classes this fall. Losing room and board from students while paying for high costs of dorm remodels to protect students when they return to campus could be a financial nightmare.
There are still so many unknowns about the spread, treatment, and prevention. Until we fully understand the wrath and potential of this virus, I wish everyone would stay home. The more cases that pop and surge on college campuses, surrounding neighborhoods, and back in students’ home towns, the longer it will take to contain this pandemic.