Returning to Campus
By: Ethan-Judd Barthelemy, Tucker Gibbs, Anna Kim, Andrea Nystedt
Students arrived on campus for the second half of the winter term between Feb. 11 and 13 after engaging in a mandatory pre-travel quarantine for seven days. Despite the strict quarantine guidelines outlined by the administration, apparently not all students adhered to the guidelines.
On Feb. 3, Dean of Students Brooks Moriarty laid out the details of the Academy’s return in a schoolwide email. The at-home quarantine guidelines advised staying at home during quarantine with the exception of medical appointments.
Many students were seen breaking quarantine in their posts on social media. “A lot of people aren’t super secretive about breaking quarantine, so they’ll post about it on social media or talk about it,” senior Alicia Gopal said.
Prep Akubah Ndubah added. “I have seen people making Tik Toks with their friends, without wearing masks,” Ndubah said. “I'm also keeping in mind that they're in a different place and I don't know how COVID is in their area.”
Although many students witnessed others breaking quarantine over social media, the Academy did not receive any information about such behavior. “I am not aware of any students breaking their at-home quarantine,” Dean of Health and Wellness Johnny Griffith said.
Some students said it was irresponsible to defy the established quarantine guidelines. “I kind of understand people [that don’t feel comfortable] staying in for like a whole week. My mom needs to go out a lot. It’s only one week, so it shouldn’t really be that hard. I don’t see why you would break quarantine unless it’s an emergency,” senior Nick Pham said.
“Breaking quarantine puts yourself and others on campus in danger as well. I get that staying cooped up so long can get boring, but I think it’s worth it when we’re thinking of the safety of the campus,” upper Catherine Uwakwe said.
Lower Sinna Oumer from New York noted, “I spend most of my time inside my house when at home, and when I do go out, I avoid leaving the car or touching anything that hasn't been sanitized or come from the car. On campus, I do my best to eyeball the six-foot distance and police it for at least the interactions I'm a part of, if not the people around me.”
Minseo Kim, a lower in South Korea, is also being cautious. “I try to wear a mask around my parents too just in case or spend time in my room, or they wear a mask, but it's been very safe and I'm enjoying the time I'm spending with them at home before I'll have to go back to Exeter until the end of the school year.”
Upon arrival to campus, four students tested positive for COVID-19 and are currently in isolation. The first stage of on-campus quarantine will conclude on Sunday, Feb. 21, after which further decisions about campus activity will be made.