University Prepares Quarantine House as Swine Flu Spreads in U.S.
Responding to the spread of swine flu to the United States, university officials have temporarily evicted residents of one of Georgetown’s two university-designated quarantine houses to make space for any students who may contract the virus.
Wednesday morning, residents of 3517 Prospect St. were told that they have 24 hours to vacate their residence. According to Mark Valtierra (SFS ’10), one of three residents at 3517 Prospect, Patrick Lukingbeal, hall director of Alumni Square and university townhouses, notified Valtierra of the eviction at 10:30 a.m.
"Given that finals begin tomorrow, university officials wanted to be prepared to handle the possible need to accommodate students who may present swine flu-like symptoms in an isolated space over the next several days," said university spokesperson Julie Bataille in an e-mail. "At this time there is no need to use the space but if that arises we will likely need to do so on very short notice and wanted to make sure that the space would be available."
Valtierra and his housemates were given several boxes and told they must leave the house by tomorrow morning.
“[Lukingbeal] said that there are no cases in the area,” Valtierra said. “[The university] believes that there is a good probability that the disease will spread and wants to take necessary precautions.”
In 2006, the university and the District of Columbia Department of Health responded to the possibility of pandemic disease threats by designating 3517 and 3519 Prospect St. as quarantine houses. This containment plan, funded by a $5,000 grant, is designed to isolate students who are too contagious to remain in a residence hall or apartment but not sick enough to warrant an intensive care stay at a hospital. The university did not utilize the quarantine houses during the norovirus outbreak this October.
According to The Washington Post, six cases of swine flu have been reported in Maryland, with two children infected in Anne Arundel and Baltimore. No cases have been reported in D.C. or Virginia.
Valtierra said that the eviction notice was largely unexpected.
“I was in disbelief,” Valtierra said.
The university will allow the residents of 3517 Prospect St. to relocate to rooms in LXR Hall or Reynolds Hall. The university also put $200 on each resident’s GOCard and sent e-mails to their professors to inform them of the situation.
"The university is relocating [the residents] to other housing for the duration of their time on campus now so as to minimize any impacts that would otherwise potentially occur during final exams," Bataille said.
According to an e-mail sent to the campus community by James Welsh, assistant vice president for student health, and Rocco DelMonaco, vice president for university safety, the university’s emergency response team is meeting regularly to discuss precautionary measures.
“We are monitoring the situation closely and are in touch with local and federal public health authorities,” Welsh and DelMonaco said in the e-mail. “Officials do not recommend changes to routine operations at this time and we are planning for final exams and upcoming activities, including commencement, to take place as currently scheduled.”
The university’s response comes just after the World Health Organization raised its pandemic threat alert level to phase five and U.S. officials confirmed the first swine flu-related death in the United States. At this time, 49 cases of swine flu have been confirmed in New York City, and 159 swine flu-related deaths have been reported in Mexico.
Apr 30 2009 at 12:56 a.m.
yep, unclear how this is not disruptive because there is no immediate threat....
either admit it or not, georgetown.
Apr 30 2009 at 1:58 a.m.
i can't imagine being those kids in the quarantine house ... is the university going to provide alternate housing for them?
Apr 30 2009 at 2:39 a.m.
The answer to your question is in the article: "The university will allow the residents of 3517 Prospect St. to relocate to rooms in LXR Hall or Reynolds Hall."
Apr 30 2009 at 2:42 a.m.
That just sucks, having to move from a townhouse to a crappy dorm, and during finals, no less.
Apr 30 2009 at 6:27 a.m.
I am actually quite glad that the university is ahead of the curve on this. I thought that the norovirus situation was handled badly. As soon as there was an outbreak the University officials should have taken extra precautions and treated it as more than just food poisoning. Many people got sick as a result of the University's ineptitude. Thankfully, no one perished as a result.
If this H1N1 virus makes it to DC and Georgetown, it is better that the students are moved out now during study days than on the day before they have final exams or final papers due.
These students live in these quarantine houses under the full knowledge that this could happen, so that is the price they must pay. It is pretty sweet that they are getting $200 on their GOCard for their trouble. The University would not even have to do that, they could simply move them into LXR and Reynolds.
Finally Georgetown is on the ball!
May 02 2009 at 9:55 a.m.
So critics: now that GWU has 2 cases of H1N1, what do you think about GU making sure the quarantine houses were ready ahead of time, instead of waiting until tomorrow or Monday, when it would have been even more disruptive to the residents.
May 03 2009 at 2:40 a.m.
wow, steve.
this is no worse than the normal flu. it affects backwater third world countries like mexico because they don't have the treatments or hygiene we do, frankly. this is why all of the 0.00000001% of the US population that has been infected has recovered.
georgetown is overreacting. as if 2 dinky houses would make a difference anyway. the hospital would hold them if they were a threat.
this is beyond stupid.
May 05 2009 at 9:54 a.m.
Be very careful with this flu
May 05 2009 at 3:45 p.m.
The hospital would not hold them. The hospital admits people who are seriously ill. They do not admit or quarantine people who are contagious but not seriously ill. Those people are sent home and told to stay home until they are better. GU setup quarantine houses so if a student was sent "home," there would be a place to take care of the student and keep him or her away from a place that can lead to high transmission, such as a residence hall.
Jun 01 2009 at 1:47 a.m.
This is disruptive and over-reaction in my opinion. Far more people have TB than Swine Flu, and TB cause more deaths a year, should we be quarantining everyone with TB?