The University of Michigan (UM) is asking students who test positive for COVID-19 to get a hotel room in order to quarantine for five days, according to the university’s website.
The university reminded students on Sept. 1 of the school’s rules surrounding COVID-19, suggesting if they are sick stay home, wear masks and get tested, according to the website. The university also asked students to create an “isolation plan” in case they contract COVID-19, noting that no students are allowed in the residence halls if they test positive. (RELATED: Blue City College Reinstates Mask Mandates To Kick Off Fall Semester)
“This could include relocating to your permanent residence, staying with a nearby relative or friend, or finding a hotel space. Students in Michigan Housing must leave their residence halls during isolation, even if they are in a single room,” the website reads.
At the @UMich, students testing COVID-19 positive must leave their dorms for 5 days & live in the community. A hotel room or a relative’s house is ok.
This cruel policy is designed to spread COVID-19 from the university into the wild. It won’t stop covid from spreading @umich. pic.twitter.com/Yfn58QKcut
— Jay Bhattacharya (@DrJBhattacharya) September 3, 2023
The UM Department of Environment, Health & Safety (EHS) is supposed to get in touch with the students within 24 hours to discuss the “care and isolation options,” according to the website. If a student must pay for a hotel room, the university did not clarify on the website whether or not they will compensate the student.
UM did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s questions about potential reimbursement.
The September announcement does not clarify when the isolation policy went into effect, but an archived version of the website shows that the current isolation policy was likely added after June 1.
The university previously required students to get the COVID-19 vaccine in order to attend on-campus, but lifted the policy for the fall semester in light of efforts to make a new vaccine, according to the website. A previous policy, however, required many students attending this fall to have obtained the vaccine before the new changes.
“[B]ecause the landscape of COVID-19 variants is evolving, the FDA has recommended the development of a new COVID-19 vaccine this fall that will target the dominant strains currently in circulation,” the website reads. “While no longer required, the bivalent COVID-19 vaccine still offers important protection both at the individual and community levels and everyone is encouraged to receive a dose of bivalent vaccine when they are eligible. In the fall semester, we will hold multiple clinics offering the latest vaccines for both COVID-19 and influenza.”
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