AUSTIN, Texas — Thousands of Longhorn students will start moving back on campus next week and University of Texas officials are bracing for a busy fall semester – one where they have to coexist with COVID -19.
School leaders said they are ready. The UT president reiterated on Tuesday he expects fewer students and faculty on campus this fall because of online learning, so that should increase safety for everyone.
KVUE also learned on Tuesday how UT planned to keep dormitories, like Kinsolving, as COVID-19-free as possible.
A few students scattered across the UT campus on Tuesday afternoon, days before the official move on Aug. 17, like 19-year-old Yvette Arellano, a resident assistant at Kinsolving. The university let RAs move in last week.
"We have the Plexiglases; we have the stickers on the floor," Arellano said.
The stickers Arellano talked about are seen on the floors of Kinsolving, with blue tape on the floor and big circular smiling faces.
There are other safety measures. A UT Housing spokesperson said all shared facilities are cleaned and disinfected on a daily basis. As far as high-touch areas like door handles, faucet handles and flush handles, those are cleaned and disinfected at least three times every day. The Housing spokesperson said crews can use an electrostatic sprayer to disinfect each residence hall.
Plexiglas dividers have been placed between sinks in community bathrooms.
Still, Arellano can't help but worry.
"It's pretty concerning since everyone's going to be going in practically at the same time. We are trying to do everything we can to follow the guidelines to reduce the spread, but even then we don't know how people are going to be complying," she said.
But Dr. Terrance Hines with University Health Sciences said that's why they plan to stay on top of testing, ramping it up when students return.
"And so our next immediate goal, a big goal, is to test all residents, all occupants within the first two weeks. And so that's going to be around 4,200 to 4,300 over a 10-day period," he said.
UT is now hoping the path back to campus is a little safer for students and others when the fall semester starts on Aug. 26.
Early move-in is Aug. 17, but most students will move in on Aug. 20.
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