Three University of Louisiana at Lafayette student-athletes have tested positive for COVID-19, a release from the school states.
One is isolating on campus. Two are isolating off campus. The isolation period for each is 14 days to reduce the possibility of transmission to others, the university tells us.
Public health officials have been in touch with other members of the University community, who may have had direct contact with the affected students, the release states.
Seven additional student-athletes have been quarantined. The 10 student-athletes – the three positive cases and the seven in quarantine – are in multiple sports programs.
They are being asked to follow guidance from the Louisiana Department of Health, which is to self-quarantine, monitor their own health for 14 days, and seek medical care should they develop symptoms, the release states.
The students are not identified because federal health privacy laws and federal school privacy laws forbid the university from releasing personal and health information about students.
Here are more details from the release:
Once the diagnoses were made, the University’s COVID-19 Student Affairs Response Team activated protocols that outline student care while also protecting the health and safety of the campus community as a whole.
Student Health Services and the Office of the Dean of Students, in cooperation with the Louisiana Department of Health, established these protocols in March as the number of COVID-19 cases grew in the state and region.
The guidelines allow affected student residents to choose whether they isolate on campus or elsewhere. Those who remain on campus receive written instructions and items to assist them in caring for themselves while in isolation or in quarantine.
In addition, a member of the COVID-19 Student Affairs Response Team will contact the student twice daily and deliver three meals to their door each day. Student Health Services staff will act as a resource for the student as well.
The protocols require affected students to:
- remain in their rooms at all times for a minimum 14-day isolation period;
- monitor symptoms, and contact Student Health Services if their symptoms worsen; and
- continue to practice good personal hygiene and keep their surroundings clean.
At the end of 14 days, the COVID-19 Student Affairs Response Team and Student Health Services will consult with health officials before the student is permitted to leave isolation.
No visitors will be allowed in an on-campus residence where a student was isolated until it is professionally cleaned.
In early June, the University’s Department of Athletics issued guidelines for student-athletes returning to campus to begin voluntary workouts. These include:
- Student-athletes and staff are screened daily before entering facilities; screenings include a physical evaluation questionnaire and temperature check. Anyone showing symptoms will be evaluated by sports medicine staff, and if necessary, referred to team physicians for testing.
- Masks, which are provided to student-athletes and staff, must be worn to enter facilities and when occupying common areas.
- Student-athletes cannot use locker rooms and must arrive for workouts dressed.
Additional safety guidelines and cleaning and sanitation measures can be found here.
To protect themselves and others, all members of the University community should:
- avoid crowds or gatherings;
- keep at least 6 feet between themselves and others;
- wear a face mask or cloth face covering while in public;
- wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, or use hand sanitizer if soap and water are unavailable;
- refrain from touching their eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands;
- cover their noses and mouths with tissue or their elbow when sneezing or coughing;
- regularly clean high-touch objects and surfaces; and
- not share eating utensils or food.
More information about COVID-19 – including symptoms and preventive measures – is available from the Centers for Disease Control and the Louisiana Department of Health.
