Though the COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed college life, whether it be altered dining procedures or new hybrid classes, many students said they find it safe to still travel off campus thanks to Boston University’s comprehensive health guidelines.
Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore said the University has strict policies regarding University-sponsored travel, but no rules against personal travel. Students, he added, are encouraged to traverse Boston safely.
“We want you to move freely in and around the city,” Elmore said. “I think we’ve got to assume that the adults that are here are following public health guidelines.”
Global health professor Davidson Hamer, a member of BU’s Medical Advisory Group, said as long as students follow public health guidelines, the risk of transmission should be low.
“I think mask use and social distancing and trying to minimize being in large gatherings, all the things that we’re recommending on campus, apply off campus and also for local travel,” Hamer said. “If those things are done, then the likelihood of being exposed is going to be very low.”
Alan Cohen, a professor of health law, policy and management in the School of Public Health, said that in order to stay safe when traveling off campus, students should maintain adherence to the same precautions BU has been recommending.
For out-of-state travel, Cohen said students will face risks even if visiting a state deemed lower risk by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. The danger is greater for travel to a high-risk state.
“It’s really a matter of judgment, and it’s also a matter of risk avoidance,” Cohen said. “By that, I mean not taking unnecessary risks, minimizing your exposure to unnecessary risks.”
Sydney Holder, a junior in the College of Engineering, said BU’s testing protocols are enough to make her feel safe.
“I went to get boba, or I went to H&M the other day to get clothes, stuff like that,” Holder said. “I feel pretty safe, especially hanging out with friends, because we all know we’ve been negative a bunch so we know we’re safe.”
Hamer said although he agrees that going out with friends is “probably safer than being with people whose testing status you do not know,” the risk isn’t negligible.
“You just don’t know what kind of contact they might have had beyond the group that you’re with,” Hamer said.
When it comes to how safe it is to leave campus, Cohen said it isn’t so clear cut: it depends on the situation.
“If you’re going off campus to, say, your home in Massachusetts, where members of your family have been quarantining for some time, it’s relatively safe,” Cohen said. “If you’re going somewhere where you’re going to be in a gathering with, say, more than 10 people … then the risk of possible infection goes up considerably.”
For students like Rashida Haye, a first-year graduate student in the SPH, traveling off campus is a necessity.
“I travel off campus to get groceries, and then I also have classes on the Medical Campus,” Haye said, “so in terms of moving between the Charles River Campus and the Med Campus, I do that pretty frequently throughout the week to go to class.”
Cohen said that leaving to get groceries comes with risks, but those risks can ultimately be mitigated if students are vigilant and take measures like going at less busy hours.
“It’s a matter of judgment and taking the proper precautions,” Cohen said. “That’s really what it comes down to. Protect yourself but also be mindful of protecting the health of others.”
Because of BU’s testing procedures — all undergraduates are tested twice weekly, graduate students once weekly — Haye said she feels safe while leaving campus. When taking the BU Shuttle, Haye said she sees around five or six other people, and everyone has a mask on.
“I think [BU] is doing the best they can because the reality is that people are going to go on and off campus,” Haye said. “This testing that’s going on, I think it’s really, really effective.”
Haye said BU’s extensive testing protocols set it apart from other universities across the country. She said she checks the University’s COVID-19 Testing Data Dashboard every day, and thinks the virus seems “pretty contained” as daily results continue to come in.
“I have a few other friends at other graduate schools and other institutions, and at least to my knowledge, I’m not aware of anywhere else that has this type of testing capability,” Haye said. “I think things are going pretty well.”
Melissa Ellin contributed to the reporting of this article.
