Students in quarantine at UPEI getting meals delivered, structured outdoor time
'It seems to be working fine now'
Roughly 30 students from within Canada are quarantining at UPEI and the director of ancillary services at the school says everything is going according to plan so far.
Jonathan Oliver says students from outside the Atlantic bubble attending the school are staying at Bill and Denise Andrew Hall for the length of their quarantine.
Staff are monitoring the halls, he said, and doing wellness checks periodically by speaking with students through the door. Chartwells is providing prepared meals for students three times a day, and anyone with specific food needs will be accommodated, Oliver said.
"Any students who have indicated to us that they have dietary needs, that's also been looked into and is being addressed," he said.
"If there's any other special menu items that a student requires, we certainly can work with the food service provider to do that as well."
No concerns at this point, Oliver says
Oliver expects most of the students should be out of quarantine by the middle of next week.
In the meantime, students have been able to go outside three times a day for about 20 minutes at a time to get some fresh air.
Students that have all moved in have been made aware of who they can reach out to if they do have any concerns.— Jonathan Oliver, UPEI
A separate entrance and exit are used to do this, social distancing is required and staff walk students back to their rooms.
"I haven't heard of any issues or concerns at this point," Oliver said. "Students that have all moved in have been made aware of who they can reach out to if they do have any concerns or if they need some additional assistance."
At the residence, students have an entire unit to themselves — each with its own washroom, common area and bedrooms. Students are asked not to enter the second bedroom in their double suite.
Some students may be lucky enough to already be inside their assigned room for the year. For others, at the end of their quarantine they'll transfer to their room on campus.
"It seems to be working fine now," Oliver said. "I'm sure there might have been a few people that were surprised that they weren't going into their room for the school year at the time, but I think everybody has adjusted to that."
International students are quarantining at hotels and will move to the school when their isolation is complete. Student orientation is online this year for UPEI, and many resources are available on the website.