One floor of O’Donnell Hall moved out of residence hall to quarantine

In coordination with the Milwaukee Health Department, Marquette University will transport residents of the third floor of O’Donnell Hall to a near-campus quarantine location for 14 days beginning at 9:30 p.m. Friday, March 5, and extending until 7 a.m. on Saturday, March 20. All third-floor residents of O’Donnell Hall are required to quarantine in the near-campus location, even if they recently had a negative COVID-19 test. This is in response to a confirmed cluster of increasing COVID-19 cases among O’Donnell residents, which was identified through on-campus testing.

All first and second-floor residents in O’Donnell Hall who have not been tested for COVID-19 this week will be required to be tested on Monday, March 8. A follow-up email with the date, time and location for the testing will be sent the evening of Sunday, March 7. Residents will be contacted with an appointment time for testing. Residents who have had a positive test in the past 90 days will not be re-tested and do not need to be quarantined. Those residents must provide proof of a positive result.

The university has taken a number of steps to help aid O’Donnell Hall third floor residents in this quarantine, including:

Quarantine timing and logistics

• Residents of the third floor of O’Donnell Hall will be transferred to a near-campus quarantine location with private rooms and private bathrooms.  

• All third floor O’Donnell Hall residents should email their professors to alert them that they have been placed on quarantine. 
  
  
• While you are in quarantine, you are expected to complete COVID Cheq each day. Students who develop symptoms during quarantine should call the Medical Clinic at 414-288-7184. 

• Meals will be delivered to students in quarantine.
  
  
• Students should NOT move out of the near-campus quarantine location or leave town; they should quarantine in the Marquette-designated near-campus quarantine location. Milwaukee Health Department guidance suggests that students should not travel home during this two-week period. This is to protect you, your family, and the community. Staying where you are is the safest course of action. Again, DO NOT LEAVE THE MARQUETTE-DESIGNATED QUARANTINE LOCATION.
  
  
• If students choose to go home to quarantine, it must be only at their permanent address and they need to stay off-campus for all 14 days of the quarantine. They must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test from a test date of March 17 or later prior to returning from the 14-day quarantine on March 20. Students choosing to quarantine at their permanent place of residence must notify the hall director via email.
  
  
• Further, any student who chooses to leave campus must do so in a private vehicle—they should not take public transportation, including planes trains, buses, taxis, Ubers, etc. particularly across state lines.

Services for quarantined students 

• Marquette is committed to ensuring students receive the comprehensive physical, emotional and spiritual care they need during quarantine. The university is coordinating pastoral care, academic services, such as virtual tutoring, and mental health resources through the Counseling Center for O’Donnell Hall third floor residents in quarantine.

• All first and second-floor residents in O’Donnell Hall who have not been tested for COVID-19 this week will be required to be tested on March 8. A follow-up email with the date, time and location for the testing is forthcoming. Residents will be contacted with an appointment time for testing. Residents who have had a positive test in the past 90 days will not be re-tested and do not need to be quarantined. Those residents must provide proof of a positive result.
  
  
• Residents who test positive will be directed to isolate in university-identified isolation space. Violation of isolation or quarantine directives will result in university sanctions via the student conduct process and/or placed under an order by the Milwaukee Health Department.  

Please take care of yourself and others during this time. And please remember, together WE make the difference in slowing the spread of COVID-19.