University of Idaho’s Greek Row has seen a surge in COVID-19 cases recently, forcing some Greek chapters to quarantine.
Last week, 14 Greek houses were under quarantine. According to Dean of Students Blaine Eckles, three of the 14 were self-imposed quarantines while the others were recommended by Public Health – Idaho North Central District.
According to the most recent presidential memo about COVID-19, there are currently three fraternities and sororities under quarantine.
“The live-in Greek chapters continue to be the primary source of the positives and four times more infected than other students living on campus,” the UI COVID-19 website stated. “There is little to no infection across the off campus students and employees.”
All Moscow-based students taking in-person classes have been required to test for COVID-19 once again due to this increase in cases. Those who have not been re-tested will be ineligible to attend classes in person starting Monday.
Eckles has been in contact with Greek chapters following the cases in newly established weekly meetings. Each chapter has assigned a member as a representative to discuss progress and precautions. Entire chapters do not need to be tested if a single member tests positive for COVID-19.
“Just because someone tests positive, for you to go and get tested the next day it doesn’t mean you would necessarily test positive or negative,” Eckles said. “That’s why people go into quarantine.”
According to the World Health Organization, the incubation period between contact with the virus and becoming contagious to others can take days.
Other chapter members are not notified of positive cases within the house due to confidentiality.
“We encourage them to have conversations,” Eckles said. “I also tell students you should generate a list of folks you may have been in close contact with.”
Eckles said students can share this list with PH-INCD, which will then reach out to those individuals.
Some chapters expect members to notify the chapter president if they are positive for COVID-19, but each action plan is different.
Some possibilities include eating lunch in shifts and specifying mask expectations outside of the house.
The university currently maintains there is no evidence of COVID-19 spread within classrooms through contact tracing, meaning spread is more likely occurring within living spaces.
Haadiya Tariq can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @haadiyatariq.