TUCSON, Ariz. -- Move-in is far from traditional this year at the University of Arizona.
There are mask requirements, social distancing is enforced and COVID-19 testing is mandatory before students are allowed inside the dorms.
Experts say these safety measures are helping to keep confirmed coronavirus cases down on campus.
“We’re doing pretty good at the university at this point,” says Dr. David Harris, a Professor and the Executive Director of Biorepository for Health and Sciences at University of Arizona.
Dr. Harris says so far 25 students have tested positive for COVID-19
“Those 25 are of the 7,200 or 7,300 students who’ve been tested. That’s a fantastic number. With a rate below one percent, 99 people out of 100 people that you run into don’t have the virus and our ability to detect them and isolate them means you probably never will,” he adds.
So far nearly 5,000 students have moved in.
Dana Robbins-Murray, the Director of Administrative Services at the University of Arizona Housing & Residential Life, says students must wear a mask, social distance and get tested regularly.
“If they are negative, they will go ahead and move into their dorm. If they are positive we then move them into our specific isolation dorm where they will be isolated for 10 days. And during that time, we’ll be providing them with food and connecting them with healthcare providers,” Robbins-Murray tells KGUN9.
Dr. Harris says students will get their results within 90 minutes.
If clusters of positive coronavirus cases break out in the dorms, the university says it's prepared.
“We have about 300 beds put aside in three dorms for isolation. The university also has some hotels on standby if we need to use those for positive cases,” says Robbins-Murray.
Classes begin online Monday.
Dr. Harris says the goal is to move to a hybrid approach, but if there is an outbreak, they will transition back to solely online learning.
