Two weeks ago I contracted COVID-19 for the first time in the pandemic. On Monday Feb. 1, I woke up with a severe sore throat, one that I would consider worse than strep throat (which I’ve had five times in my life). I went to Health Services and tested negative for COVID-19. I was instructed to quarantine in my Park Wood apartment with my three roommates until I would test again that Thursday. 

When I went back and told my roommates, they agreed that it would be simpler for them Coviand me if I had my own quarantine space. I contacted Director of Health Services Irene Kniss but was denied a space because I wasn’t positive for COVID-19. While I understand that providing quarantine space for everyone with a sore throat may put strain on EMU quarantine housing, this wasn’t a perfect situation for my roommates. 

On Thursday morning, I tested positive. I was sent to my quarantine space and walked into the room that I had been sent to only to find that there was someone in that room. The girl inside shot up her bed, looking at me. I was embarrassed and left the space, going back out of the building. I learned a little while later that one of the people in that building had called the day before to say they were full. I found it strange that I was sent to the building in that case. 

Eventually I did get into a quarantine space, but I was fortunate. Since my case was a mild one sitting around and waiting another hour and a half for another quarantine space wasn’t an issue. 

Later, I emailed Director of Residence Life Jonathan Swartz to find out why I had been sent to an occupied space. I found out that the people in that location had been assigned certain rooms but had either forgotten or decided to change their rooms within it, making the house fill up faster than it was supposed to. This makes sense because as I was confused and wandering around the house to find out if there was space available, I was told that the double rooms all had one female in them, so, as I’m not female, I couldn’t stay there. 

There still lies one issue. According to someone in the house I had talked to, someone at EMU was notified the day before that that housing space was full. 

I would encourage anyone sent to quarantine or isolation to double check whether you received a room number and be sure to go to that room number. I was a mild case so I didn’t need a bed to immediately collapse into, but this precaution could help someone with a severe COVID-19 case get to a bed that much faster.