Hi Lynx,
Many of you have been sending me questions and concerns about our campus COVID care procedures, and so I wanted to share with you the top five questions I have received this week and also share my answers!
Top Five Questions about COVID-19 Care and Testing on Campus
- What should I do if I need a test because I am symptomatic or I am a close contact? Don’t panic. Make sure you are masking. Email Health Services at health-forms@rhodes.edu. You will get an email back within 24-48 hours and be scheduled for a test 3-5 days after your symptoms begin. Per healthcare advice on the delta variant, Health Services is not doing same day testing. Most accurate testing occurs after 3-5 days to ensure the viral load of the symptoms is present for an accurate test. The protocols can be reviewed here.
- What should I do if I was a contact and I am waiting to be tested? Know that if you are vaccinated you do not need to be quarantined. You need to mask and mostly go on with your normal daily activities until your testing appointment. It would be prudent to limit contacts and take your food to go, but given your vaccination status a strict quarantine is not required.
- What do I do if I am symptomatic? Don’t panic. There are lots of different colds and viruses that go around at the beginning of the school year. Given the delta variant, we have been advised by our health partners to delay the test to get an accurate result. Do the best you can to quasi-quarantine while you wait to be tested. Quasi-quarantine means you should get your meals to go and stay in your room to the best of your ability. Wear a mask. Let your professors know that you are symptomatic and should not attend class in person. If you are a student athlete, you should let your coach and the athletic training staff know. You will not be moved into an isolation space unless you ultimately test positive. You should not attend asymptomatic testing in McNeill Hall. You should wait for your scheduled testing appointment at the COVID Care Clinic in Blount Hall You can find Blount Hall on our interative campus map.
- What if I want to get tested immediately and not wait 3-5 days? If you want to get tested on your own, please refer to the official City of Memphis webiste, which provides the addresses and contact numbers for available testing sites in the area. If you test positive off campus, please share that immediately with Health Services via health-forms@rhodes.edu.
- What if I need support academically while I am waiting to be tested? Check in with your faculty and see what support or suggestions they may have in regard to your classwork and attendance. If you have follow-up questions or concerns, email studentlife@rhodes.edu.
Labor Day Weekend
In accordance with our 3-5 day symptomatic testing protocol, we will not be doing symptomatic testing over the Labor Day weekend. Students who are symptomatic this weekend should follow the protocol here and email Health Services at health-forms@rhodes.edu to schedule a test for Tuesday, September 7 or later, depending on the onset date of symptoms.
Students experiencing severe symptoms or a medical emergency should call 911 immediately, and then contact Campus Safety by calling (901) 843-3880. As always, any student may contact the Residence Life on-call staff at any time by calling (901) 487-5226 for support and care.
If you have questions or concerns about the protocols, please do not hesitate to email our Student Life team at studentlife@rhodes.edu.
Be Well,
-mhw
Meghan Harte Weyant, Ph.D.
Vice President for Student Life