'It’s a little scary': COVID-19 hits close to home at UWindsor residence

Windsor, Ont. -

Some University of Windsor students are concerned after another COVID-19 outbreak at a residence on campus.

Mike Roth, a resident at Alumni Hall, says it hits close to home.

“I guess it’s a little scary because it’s right where you live. We’re just being safe, not going out and not going to anybody unnecessary that we don’t need to,” says Roth.

The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit declared an outbreak at Alumni Hall on Saturday after the virus was detected in wastewater screening. The university sent out information to the students.

“We got an email that four people have it and the close contacts have been notified, so they are trying to trace down close contacts of those people and get them tested,” says Roth.

Resident and track athlete Anthony Isaac says he hopes it’s enough to contain the spread.

“I was pretty concerned because there’s a lot of athletes in here, so if one of us gets effected by COVID it effects the whole team,” says Isaac.

The students are under a modified quarantine.

“Just gotta like keep socially distanced inside our regular residence, any common area, like getting food and stuff. But most of our lounges and dining halls are closed,” says Isaac.

The wastewater screening by the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research (GLIER) is being called an early warning system for the virus.

“Individuals start to shed the virus upwards of five to seven days before showing any symptoms,” says GLIER executive director Mike McKay.

Wastewater screening also detected an asymptomatic COVID case at Alumni Hall in March, but there is even more monitoring now.

“This year at the university we have three residence halls occupied, so since August we have been monitoring the wastewater at the residence halls two times per week,” says McKay.

Roth hopes all of the observations, protocols and vaccines will help reach the ultimate goal.

“So that we can get back to normal life,” Roth says.