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Burlington is bracing for the return of college students and their parents in the next two weeks as leases of off-campus apartments expire and new students move in.
Students coming from other states will be required to quarantine for 14 days or until they test negative for Covid-19 on day seven or later after they arrive, according to an email to students living off campus from Annie Stevens, the university’s vice provost for student affairs. The policy is in line with the guidance state officials have issued for anybody coming to Vermont from out of state.
The Vermont National Guard will set up an additional testing site on campus for arriving students, Mayor Miro Weinberger said Friday.
However, concerns remain in the community about whether students returning to Burlington will abide by the quarantine order and obey social distancing guidelines.
“Even though it’s been put out there in a variety of ways, I’m still concerned people won’t follow that recommendation that they quarantine for 14 days,” City Council President Max Tracy, P-Ward 2, said.
Weinberger said those concerns were legitimate.
“Clearly at a time where we’re enjoying a very low level of virus transmission, I think it’s exactly right to be asking the question, could hundreds of students coming back to Burlington spark a new outbreak?” he said.
UVM switched to online-only instruction in March amid concerns around the spread of Covid-19. The university is planning on having students return to campus this fall.
Late last month, concerns around the move-in and move-out during the pandemic started to gain attention.
Along with additional testing, state contact tracers with the Department of Health will be available to track cases if arriving students test positive. Weinberger said the Department of Health has the capability to monitor over 500 cases a week.
The city will also be running a pilot program to provide supportive services to students who come back and are in quarantine, Weinberger said.
“The city is going to check in with them regularly, provide them a welcoming care package that has a mask, some hygiene supplies and other local products,” he said.
The city will also help those who are quarantining access testing, and will establish additional noise patrols in student neighborhoods.
Family members who help students move in and move out are expected to stay only a few hours and leave the same day, Stevens wrote. In addition to off-campus housing, some students left behind possessions in university housing when the virus moved classes online.
After arriving in Burlington, students are expected to limit their activities to “getting groceries or medicine; curbside pick-up for goods, meals or beverages; medical care; outdoor exercise’ or approved work,” she wrote.
Tracy, who lives in the Old North End in an area with a student population, said that while the city and university have worked to educate students and their families about the regulations, compliance remains a question.
“I think it’s still, nevertheless, going to be a challenging situation, based on everything that is going on,” he said. “I think we will have to be vigilant about it.”
Tracy said that the early June period frequently features parties held by students who have just moved into their new apartments.
“This is sort of this first taste of freedom they have, in the sense that some folks are getting their first apartment,” he said. “We don’t want to be seeing large, raucous parties.”
Tracy said that he believed students have been doing a pretty good job of staying with the people they live with during the pandemic and not having those parties, yet.
“I did see one party on Cinco de Mayo, but other than that I haven’t seen a lot of it,” he said, referring to the May 5 celebration.
Gail Shampnois, the director of UVM’s office of student and community relations, said that the university has been sharing information with students and their parents about current state guidelines.
The number of UVM students and their parents returning in the next two weeks also might be smaller than originally anticipated.
A UVM survey with 716 respondents who live off-campus found that nearly 75% of those students are currently living in their off-campus rental. Of those currently living in their off-campus rentals, 68% will be living in Burlington for the lease period starting June 1.
The university has told students they should expect to quarantine when they return to the city, she said.
“We are going to work really hard to norm social distancing and wearing masks,” she said. “I think it really is up to the community, if everyone is wearing masks and social distancing, when someone new moves into a community and sees that, that’s probably the best way to norm that.”
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