by Scott McClallen
The University of Michigan’s COVID-19 policies tell students who test positive to “make an isolation plan” for five days by getting a hotel, going home or staying with a friend off campus.
“Make an isolation plan, which could include relocating to your permanent residence, staying with a nearby relative or friend, or finding a hotel space,” the U-M guidance says.
The policy tells students to report positive test results unless the student tested through the university system, which automatically reports results to the U-M Department of Environment, Health & Safety.
Students must notify close contacts and those within 6 feet for 15 minutes or longer during their infectious period.
EHS will contact students and campus employees, generally within 24 hours, to discuss care and isolation options. The policy recommends against using public transportation like buses, trains, taxis, planes or ride-sharing and suggests getting a ride if there’s only one other person in the car, and if the final location will have a closed-door bedroom and access to a bathroom that can be disinfected after every use.
Students who live alone in a single room must leave campus if they test positive for COVID-19. The policy says students who test positive should isolate for five days and then mask for another five days.
“You will need to leave your residence hall during your isolation,” the policy says.
Jay Bhattacharya, a professor of medicine and health policy at Stanford University, criticized the rules on social media as “cruel.”
“At the @UMich, students testing covid positive must leave their dorms for 5 days & live in the community,” Bhattacharya wrote. “A hotel room or a relative’s house is ok. This cruel policy is designed to spread covid from the university into the wild. It won’t stop covid from spreading @umich.”
In 2020, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer stopped in-person instruction at colleges and universities for at least three weeks.
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Scott McClallen is a staff writer covering Michigan and Minnesota for The Center Square. A graduate of Hillsdale College, his work has appeared on Forbes.com and FEE.org. Previously, he worked as a financial analyst at Pepsi. In 2021, he published a book on technology and privacy. He co-hosts the weekly Michigan in Focus podcast.
Photo “University of Michigan Students” by University of Michigan.
