‘Handful’ of University of Utah dorms test positive for COVID-19

The University of Utah has confirmed that “a handful” of students who moved into the bedroom this week tested positive for the coronavirus.

School spokesman Chris Nelson declined to say exactly how many students are in quarantine. But the U. has plans to release a final count, he added, when relocation is on Monday – the same day classes begin.

“We’ve had a handful of positive cases,” he said Friday. “And we check who else is exposed.”

Before students can get a key to their room this year, they are required to test for COVID-19. Nelson said the school expected some of those tests to return positive. And they respond with the protocol they set up.

Students with the virus have been moved to isolation rooms for now. The school has erected 35 of those in the dorm buildings across campus. Those individuals will not be able to leave for a minimum of 14 days and will need a negative test to be released. That means they personally cannot attend classes when campus reopens.

In addition, if a positive student came into close contact with a roommate while unpacking before receiving their results – defined as within 10 feet for more than 15 minutes – these individuals would be asked to quarantine in their rooms. Getting the results takes about 24 hours, so is the possibility of exposure.

The school has its own contact person to try to determine who could be hit.

Some students who came with their belongings on Friday morning had already said they were worried about possible cases. Joy Kavapalu, a junior student at the U., said, “I’m excited to go in, but like UNC, I’m afraid something will happen,” referring to the University of North Carolina. It closed after one week and returned to full-time distance learning after students began testing positive for COVID-19.

Hope Farrar, another junior, added: “I know I will be as safe as possible, but I also know a lot of people who are not, and it swallows because it will destroy it for everyone else.”

Once the cases were confirmed, some students posted about them on Twitter. One graduate student wrote: ‘Students have moved into the bedroom this week and there are already sets of things confirmed in one of the buildings. This is going to be great. ”

Displacement began on Tuesday, a few days earlier than usual, to make it more staggered and socially distant. About 3,600 total students are expected to relocate on Sunday and live on campus.

But everyone is required to wear masks, Nelson added. And students are limited to having two family members help them move their belongings.

– Tribune contributor Francisco Kjolseth contributed to this story.