Know the Definitions and Distinctions of Social Distancing, Isolation, and Quarantine
The terms self-quarantining, physical (social) distancing, or isolating have been used to characterize approaches for fighting COVID-19. Here’s what those terms mean at Beacon:
- Social distancing: Keeping space between yourself and other people outside your household to prevent the spread of disease. At Beacon College this means every effort to keep a six-foot distance from other people at any indoor or outdoor location on campus (and during approved and supervised off-campus activities).
- Quarantine: Separating people and limiting the movement of people who have or may have been exposed to the disease to see if they become ill. At Beacon College this means that, if you are not feeling well or may have been in close contact for more than 15 minutes with a person who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 or who is reasonably suspected of being COVID-positive, you will be directed to remain in your campus residence or at home until such time as you are cleared by the College to return to regular daily campus routines with others.
- Isolation: Separating people who are ill from others to keep the disease from spreading. At Beacon College this means that, if a student or employee tests positive for an active case of coronavirus, the person must isolate for at least 7-10 days from the date of testing either: (1) in the “isolation undergraduate residence” designated and monitored for students by the College, or (2) at home distant from the Beacon campus (for employees, commuting students, or those residential students who, at their discretion, wish to recuperate at home). The isolation period for all community members is 7 to 10 days, requiring a negative PCR test result before being approved to return to campus.
The Creation of a “Closed” Campus for the First Month of the Spring 2021 Semester (as Circumstances Warrant):
Understanding that every facet of life imposes some risks, Beacon College is nonetheless making every effort to mitigate against those risks in order to keep the community as safe as might be possible. In this regard, Beacon desires to keep its undergraduates within the boundaries of our campus property, away from any unnecessary off-campus exposure for at least the first month of the fall semester. The College is, therefore, implementing a system that:
- Requires entry and surveillance testing of all students and employees;
- Mandates that: (a) masks be worn at all times outside of your private space (residential room or office), (b) all citizens of Beacon practice required social distancing of at least six feet, (c) hands be washed regularly, (d) good personal hygiene practices be followed, and (e) all personal and public places be regularly cleaned;
- Asks all students and employees to self-monitor daily by examining the five COVID- related key questions that are ubiquitous on campus and are, further, easily accessible on the MyBeacon App and by referring to the College’s online COVID-19 policy. As a precaution during at least the first month of the semester, students in all classes will begin by affirming that they have self-monitored that day and have not responded “yes” to any of the questions;
- Unless approved and supervised by an appropriate Beacon representative, residential students will remain on the College property, where the baseline population has been tested upon entry. Our policy of surveillance testing two weeks after the beginning of the fall semester (and, possibly, thereafter should conditions warrant) is intended to further safeguard and assure the well-being of the campus community; and
- Students residing off campus and employees share a special responsibility to ensure that they are in good health and have taken seriously each day the key question self- monitoring process. The College reserves the right to conduct random checks, such as temperature measurement, at any time during the fall semester at the College’s discretion.
