College Quarantine Plans Adapting With Pandemic
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) -- As more college students head back to college campuses, more contingency plans are in place in case students, faculty or staff test positive for coronavirus.
At USC, there is a hotel on-campus for quarantines. Other campuses, which don't have that option, require people utilizing on-campus facilities to quarantine on their own.
People who have returned to campus say there are ups and downs to the way that things are now operating.
"It's not the ideal reality, but it is nice to be amongst people again," one student said.
USC along with Cal State LA and Cal State Long Beach began classes on Monday with many precautions in place.
USC was one of the first campuses in the state to require vaccination for in-person learning. According to USC's numbers that were released last week, out of 27,000 coronavirus tests, they had a less than .5% positivity rate. Most who tested positive were either asymptomatic or had minimal symptoms.
"Right now, we are over 95% vaccinated for our faculty and staff, and our U.S. students," said USC Chief Health Officer Sarah Van Orman.
The University of California and Cal State systems followed with a vaccine mandate in July, but with the more infectious Delta variant spreading, colleges are also preparing for breakthrough cases.
Routine testing is another safety requirement that some colleges are taking, and friend groups who live together have formed their own systems for staying safe.