Is Your College Student Bringing COVID Home for the Holidays?

With so many scenarios and radically different — and potentially serious — ramifications, parents should urge their young adults to be extra cautious before returning home for the holidays, to reduce the chances of infecting family members.

Mitigating the virus risk

Rebecca Lee Smith, an associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, says young adults should receive two negative tests four days apart, while self-quarantining or avoiding unnecessary exposure, before heading back to their families.

Because “a test by itself doesn't protect anybody,” students should keep in mind a well-known phrase in the anti-infection world of sexually transmitted diseases, says Lee Smith: “Your risk is equal to that of the riskiest person you interact with."

The University of Massachusetts at Amherst, which has administered 146,000 COVID-19 tests to date, has a virtual dashboard showing the latest data on the number of tests performed, positivity rates and test turnaround times. The school recently sent emails encouraging students to get tested two or three days before their planned departure.

"We test off-campus students, but not all universities do,” says campus spokesperson Ed Blaguszewski. Those who don't have on-campus access “should make sure they go to a local clinic."

And remember, tests are only a snapshot in time. A student who tests negative before traveling home still can become exposed to the virus in transit, says Ramon Tallaj, a medical doctor and founder of the nonprofit SOMOS Community Care, a network of physicians in Manhattan.

"A negative test doesn't guarantee you don't get [the virus] after that,” he says. “If they come home and have a chance to get another test, have them do it again."

Students can help mitigate risk between campus and the front door. Those riding home by car with friends should wear a mask and open windows if possible. If the temperature is too low, open windows occasionally to release contaminated air. Be sure the heater is using outside air and not recirculated air. Students using public transportation (buses, trains, planes) should wear masks, wash hands frequently, sit near empty seats if able, and avoid crowds.

In Texas, one health expert is recommending extra precautions.

Mark Escott, a physician and the Austin-Travis County interim health authority, suggests that students who participate in unmasked extracurricular activities or live on college campuses wear masks and practice social distancing around family throughout the holiday season. And keep in mind that some states and localities have quarantine requirements for those who are coming in from out of state.

Understand college testing and contact tracing

To understand the possible exposure students may have had on campus, it's important to know what kind of testing of students a college or university is doing. Tulane, for example, is doing surveillance testing, administering many tests to students with quick results.

"It's a real undertaking,” Fitts says. Tulane is able to use this method because it has a medical school. But according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, among colleges with in-person classes and approximately 5,000 undergraduates, only 6 percent routinely have tested all of their students in the fall semester.

With Thanksgiving less than a week away, some parents feel they can't get information from schools fast enough. They phone, email, post concerns on social media.

Parents should be asking schools about more than tests, says Lee Smith. “Do they do contact tracing? And what do they consider a contact?"

But higher education officials can do only so much, notes Lee Smith.

"Start asking questions of your child and the choices they're making,” she says. “A lot more of the burden has to fall to individuals to keep themselves safe."

While some parents may be masked when reuniting with their children, Anthony Yanez, 53, won't be when welcoming home 18-year-old daughter Miranda, a freshman at Virginia's College of William & Mary.

Yanez says that's because the public research university has been “very reassuring” to parents by sending weekly COVID-related emails and holding frequent video panels over the summer — often with the president and other leadership — on data, the school's partnership with medical labs, its commitment to contact tracing and more.

But even though he's “not sweating it now,” Yanez knows that could change.

"My wife just told me the other day, ‘We're not spring chickens anymore,'” he says. “We're approaching the age where we're becoming high-risk."