The University of St. Thomas is advising that students returning to campus this fall “should practice a quarantine for two weeks,” the university’s Student Affairs department wrote in an email Wednesday.

The email stated that it is important to quarantine to minimize the risk of students getting infected with COVID-19 before returning, along with “a way to get used to the new normal you will experience once back on campus.”

“If you follow these protocols, you will reduce your risk, and you will help ensure that we can keep campus open this fall,” the email said.

During those two weeks, students are asked to not attend house parties, bars or other social gatherings; if students need to see friends, they will also be asked to try to do so outside while masked and practicing social distancing.

According to Public Safety crime logs, three complaints have been made so far in August to Public Safety involving parties or social gatherings, along with four in July — all of which were off campus.

Students had mixed reactions to the university’s request. Sophomore Emmalena Williamson criticized the timing in which the email came out.

“I am scheduled to work,” Williamson said. “(The university) didn’t give us enough time to plan for it.”

Junior Sophie Olson feels that a lot of students won’t be able to quarantine.

“It’s hard when lots of students work up until school starts, so quarantine isn’t really possible,” Olson said. “But all of the extra stuff like house parties and large gatherings are avoidable and not necessary, unlike work.”

Junior Maria Ambrose feels that what the university is asking for is already a part of her lifestyle.

“I’m not changing my lifestyle, because those precautions are my lifestyle right now,” Ambrose said.

However, Ambrose also understands that doing a full-fledged quarantine is difficult.

“Fully quarantining is difficult if it also includes avoiding grocery stores and essentials, but avoiding large gatherings isn’t difficult,” Ambrose said. “Who knows who in our classrooms have compromised immune systems or vulnerable people in their households.”

Incoming first-year Walid Esse had similar thoughts.

“I feel like I’ve already been restricting myself for the most part,” Esse said.

The university has been monitoring other already-open campuses, the email stated. Some campuses that have already reopened have had to backtrack their plans, such as the University of Notre Dame, which announced Tuesday that they are suspending in-person classes for two weeks after 147 people there tested positive for COVID-19.

The email also stated that the university will not be conducting “surveillance testing” as the Minnesota Department of Health advises against this. Despite the advisory, St. Olaf College wrote in an email to students that it will be administering baseline testing to all students moving onto campus, and will conduct randomized testing to 2% of students, faculty and staff there weekly.

St. Thomas will also begin providing a report of cases on campus to the community weekly starting Sept. 14.

“The report will include the total reported cases for the prior week, whether the reported cases involve students or faculty/staff, and on which campus the impacted individual primarily works or learns,” the email said.

When three or more cases are presumed to be connected, such as in time or building location, that information will be included in that report, the email said. The Center for Well-Being has the ability to test for COVID-19, and have been prioritizing student testing with a 72-hour turnaround.

The email noted that anyone that appears to experience symptoms of COVID-19 should stay home or to go home as soon as possible.

“Please don’t tough it out,” the email said.

St. Thomas is mandating all community members to report any positive COVID-19 tests to the university via a form available on OneStThomas.

As of press time, there have been 66,618 reported COVID-19 cases in Minnesota. 1,738 people have died from COVID-19 in the state, with 1,295 of those deaths being from persons residing in long-term care or assisted living facilities.

Justin Amaker can be reached at justin.amaker@stthomas.edu.