In the unfortunate event that a student tests positive for COVID-19, Bucknell requires you to quarantine in a local hotel. To start the spring semester, it was necessary for every Bucknell student to complete a mail-in COVID-19 test. Upon my arrival at school, I received a notification that my test was positive along with many other students. As a result, a large mass of Bucknell students including myself, were transferred to Best Western Plus Country Cupboard Inn.
After receiving my test results at school, I had to contact Bucknell Student Health. In this phone call we discussed how long I have been on campus, if I have been in close contact with anyone, and if I had any symptoms. Following the phone call about an hour later, Public Safety contacted me. In this conversation, I was told to be ready as soon as possible with my bags packed, and to call back when I was prepared to leave. Thus, I did what I was told and quickly packed my things. This included: My phone, charger, laptop, clothes, toiletries, airpods, book, wallet, any vitamins/medications, Bucknell ID, and my personal ID. Within the next 15 minutes, I was picked up by a Bucknell vehicle and transferred to the hotel.
To check in, all that is required is to walk in, state your name, and the front desk hands you your room keys along with a letter stating what your Isolation rules are. After getting my room key, I headed up to my room. The letter stated that I was not permitted to leave my room by any means and that I have to be masked when checking in and checking out of the hotel. In this hotel, all students are housed in a private room with a queen sized bed, full bathroom, free wifi, refrigerator, microwave, and a closet. The room was spacious and also included a seating area with a television. All around, the room was comfortable and quaint.
After settling in, I grew very hungry. I was not previously made aware of how the meal plans worked at the hotel, so I looked through my email to check. To my surprise, every student is required to submit a food order to the hotel by 3pm the day prior. Obviously, this was not ideal, because the day before arriving, I didn’t know I would be at the hotel. On top of this, I was brought to the hotel after 3:00pm, so I couldn’t order my food for the following day either. Because of this, I was forced to pay for food delivery services such as Doordash for my two-day stay. From being at the hotel, this was my only complaint considering I expected that my school meal plan would suffice for me while being at the hotel, but instead, I had to pay out-of-pocket for 3 meals per day, for two days. Aside from the food situation, I was left to find things to do in the hotel to satisfy my boredom, so now I will discuss my daily routine while being there.
Daily Isolation Routine:
- Wake up
- Order breakfast
- Eat
- Quick indoor workout
- Shower
- Watch Netflix
- Call my family and friends
- Watch Netflix
- Go to bed
Although this routine seemed redundant and boring, it fulfilled my time well. I found it important to find things to fill my time, otherwise I would be left very upset and lazy since I was entirely alone. In the unfortunate case of having to quarantine, it is very beneficial to occupy yourself and make a schedule. This allowed my days to go by much faster and thus, I was not left thinking about how bored I was and all of the things I was missing out on.
In general, my stay was comfortable and relaxing. Although at times I felt like I was losing my mind from being alone for so long, I was able to learn some useful tips to share. I leave you with these few reminders about the Bucknell Quarantine Hotel: Your food will most likely not be provided to you, so be prepared to order it yourself. Make use of your time, whether it be catching up with your school work, calling friends and family, working out, reading, etc. Lastly, do not get caught up in the negative emotions that come with being in isolation. Your time will pass faster if you keep yourself occupied and have a positive outlook.