Bradley’s all student quarantine will be lifted beginning on Wednesday at 7 a.m., according to President Stephen Standifird’s email to all students this afternoon. While students will now be allowed to attend in-person classes, a majority of the restrictions imposed during quarantine will remain for the rest of the semester.
The decision comes after Bradley’s COVID-19 dashboard reported a 16.4 percent on-campus positivity rate for the week of Sept. 11 through Sept. 17. According to Standifird, the number of new cases has decreased significantly.
“While we were able to reverse the dangerous trajectory we were on, we haven’t eliminated COVID-19 from our campus community,” Standifird said. “We must remain vigilant.”
Consistent with the past two weeks, students cannot host guests, visit off-campus eating establishments, drinking establishments or off-campus residences. The email stated the university has no current evidence that transmission is taking place through casual interactions or in the classroom setting.
Students will be able to enter the Cullom-Davis Library and the Markin Center.
Moving forward, testing will be prioritized for students who are symptomatic. Starting Sept. 23, individuals, rather than entire floors, will be identified as close contacts and placed in quarantine. Off-campus residents or Greek housemates will still be considered close contacts and subject to quarantine.
Close contacts can include roommates and others who came into close contact with the COVID-19 positive student. The email did note that if there is a marked increase in the number of cases on a residence floor, the entire floor may need to quarantine.
Students will be categorized into three groups: general population, in quarantine and in isolation. Students who have recently recovered from COVID-19 will be considered a part of the general population. The university created a table of the limitations for each category under “Non Classroom Activities.”
Dining halls will remain on a grab-and-go basis only for the general population. Those in isolation will have a meal delivered by dining services, and those in quarantine can have their meals delivered or picked up at a certain location.
The university has lifted the deadline for any student that wishes to move to fully-remote learning. All tuition and fees will remain the same and students cannot reside in the residence halls or SAC if they choose to become fully remote. Requests can be submitted to vpsa@bradley.edu.
Those who wish to move out of the residence hall can utilize only three people (including the student) to help out with the move out process. Items can be left in the room but the university claims it is not responsible for any items left in a room and does not guarantee placement into the same room for the spring semester.
If the university sees another spike in positive cases or a negative trend, Bradley will enter another two-week all-student quarantine with remote learning. At the end of that quarantine, students will be asked to leave campus and finish the semester virtually at their permanent residence.