Fresno State changes COVID reporting policy for some cases. What students should know
Fresno State will change how it reports possible campus-related infections after several complaints that students were kept in the dark about many classroom infections.
In a statement late Monday to The Bee’s Education Lab, Fresno State spokesperson Lisa Boyles Bell said the university is changing its protocols.
“We will advise all individuals in a classroom if someone has tested positive, regardless of the risk exposure,” she said in a statement. “Individuals needing to be notified are identified through class rosters.”
The change comes after multiple students complained they were not informed when a classmate tested positive for the coronavirus.
Before Monday, university officials only informed students suspected of having a direct exposure through contact tracing. Whether a student was contacted depended on time and proximity to the ill person, Boyles Bell said of the school’s former policy.
Frustrations are mounting for many students who say the university isn’t doing enough to enforce the best health and safety practices as the renewed surge of Delta-variant-led infections once again pushes local hospitals to their limits.
“They aren’t social distancing, they aren’t providing masks nor sanitizer, they aren’t enforcing that students actually wear the masks correctly, and they aren’t contact tracing anywhere near as accurately as they should,” said student Nicholas Ctibor, in a recent interview with the Ed Lab.
As of Sept. 10, 248 members of the campus population have tested positive for COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic. That’s an 84-person increase since the last update on Aug. 9. In addition, 43 additional cases are being investigated, according to the university.
Ctibor, a business administration major set to graduate in the spring, started a petition this week urging Fresno State to switch to mainly virtual classes again. Already, hundreds have signed, citing rising COVID cases and deaths that are leaving scarce beds available in hospital ICUs.
Anyone on campus must be vaccinated or have an exemption form on file by Sept. 30. Unvaccinated students and employees must be tested weekly.
Meanwhile, university officials said this week they’re considering ending all in-person learning after the Thanksgiving holiday. All classes would be moved online to combat the spreading coronavirus.
The Education Lab is a local journalism initiative that highlights education issues critical to the advancement of the San Joaquin Valley. It is funded by donors. Learn about The Bee’s Education Lab here.