By Jordyn Taylor
Due to a rise in COVID-19 cases in the dorm, students who live in La Plata Hall have been ordered to restrict activity for 10 days or return home, according to an email sent to residents on Feb. 5. The email, sent out by Valronica Scales, director of Resident Life and Spyridon Marinopoulos, director of the health center, stated that these actions are being taken to reduce the spread of the virus and to protect the health and well-being of UMD students.
“Please know that this decision was made because we prioritize the health and safety of every member of our community,” Marinopoulos and Scales said in the email. “It is our hope and expectation that we will persevere through these temporary measures and resume in-person activities on Feb. 15.”
This announcement came after a floor of residents tested positive for the virus last week. Activity restrictions ban residents from attending in-person classes or using the Recreation and Wellness Center or Adele H. Stamp Student Union facilities. They also must remain in their rooms as much as possible, avoid floor lounge gatherings and use limited hours to pick up meals from the North Campus Dining Hall.
During the designated meal times, residents are not allowed to enter the dining hall’s main entrance. A buffet, provided to them by Dining Services, is available for residents on weekends from 10 a.m. to noon and from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. On weekdays, residents have a one-hour time slot to pick up each meal.
Nikita Dobkin, a senior mechanical engineering student, is a Resident Assistant in La Plata Hall and chose to return home after learning of the outbreak. He said he did not want to be so restricted in his activity and surrounded by people who have contracted the virus.
“It’s a very tough situation that I am in right now,” Dobkin said in an interview. “It’s definitely a lot to deal with.”
Although he is no longer living in the dorm, Dobkin has been overwhelmed with questions and concerns from his residents. He said the circumstances are difficult to handle because nobody knows what’s going to happen next.
Rachel Weiss, a freshman mathematics major, is a resident at La Plata Hall. She said she decided to stay at school but that it’s been challenging and demanding dealing with the restrictions on top of her academics and sorority rush.
“It’s so hard to see friends, and I don’t want to risk getting in trouble for leaving my dorm. It’s been stressful having to get out of routine,” Weiss said in an interview.
Featured image: Students in La Plata hall were told they must restrict their activities for 10 days due to a rise in COVID-19 cases in the dorm.
Photo by Jordyn Taylor