Amidst current New York State quarantine requirements for individuals arriving to Rochester from certain states with high COVID-19 transmission rates, the University is providing interim guidance to help students and families begin to make travel plans that include a possible 14-day self-quarantine obligation.
It’s first important to know that the University is active in discussions with the state and other higher education institutions and associations across New York to help find an alternative to requiring all of our students from “hot spot” states to quarantine for 14 days. We do not yet know what this alternative might be or if such an exemption to the quarantine will be made, but it could make things a lot easier for students and families and do so in a way that still protects the health and safety of everyone arriving in August.
Absent a higher education exemption, University officials have outlined below some of the options that students can consider when determining how to meet their quarantine obligation:
Option A
Undergraduate and graduate students coming from restricted states and who are planning to live on campus can choose to wait until their home state comes off of the NYS list, or a “COVID test-out” option becomes available. Students may take their courses online until that time and then move to Rochester. The University will arrange for several arrival dates following the start of the semester for both domestic and international students who are unable to arrive at the semester’s start.
Option B
Students can choose to arrive in Rochester or New York State 14 days prior to their assigned move-in date to self-quarantine. The quarantine could be done through independent housing or hotel arrangements off-campus; the University is currently negotiating discounted rates at a number of hotels near campus. In addition, the University is working to make available to students the option to quarantine in a temporary room assignment on campus. This designated quarantine space would be available on a limited basis; an early move-in housing rate and more details could soon be announced. Once the 14-day quarantine is complete, asymptomatic students could then follow the regular move-in process for their assigned residence hall room, including a COVID-19 test if applicable.
Students planning to live off-campus are permitted to self-quarantine at their off-campus residence, but their quarantine must be completed prior to any in-person classes or labs.
Additional information will be coming soon, as well as details on the full move-in process.
For an updated list of the restricted states, see https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/covid-19-travel-advisory.