MANCHESTER, N.H. (WHDH) - St. Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire is inviting students back to campus in the time of COVID-19.
“We have been working almost nonstop to address so many of the logistics that are necessary to (reopen) safely,” President Dr. Joseph A. Favazza said.
Beginning Saturday, 200 students will return to campus every day for the next 10 days until all 2,000 are back.
They will undergo two coronavirus tests — one that gives rapid results and another to confirm those results.
If a student tests negative, they will be given a wristband and allowed to roam about campus, but if they test positive, they will be sent to an isolated area.
“Part of our planning is we do have isolation and quarantine beds set up, and we are prepared to care for those students if we need to do that,” Favazza said.
The college’s goal is to test all students and staff on a regular basis but that comes with a price tag close to a million dollars, according to Favazza. He’s hoping some state and federal aid will help offset those costs.
Favazza added that he and his staff spent the summer speaking with a number of healthcare partners on ways to reimagine classrooms, dining halls, and dorm rooms.
The University of Massachusetts — Amherst has taken a different approach for the upcoming school year, saying that only students enrolled in essential face-to-face courses will be allowed to live on campus.
Students who are learning remotely will not be permitted to live on campus due to worsening coronavirus conditions across the country.
Students with special circumstances, including international students with visa requirements, will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
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