College should prepare “for an increase in cases or an outbreak” of coronavirus on campus, Trinity’s Major Emergency Management Team has said in its “COVID-19 Response Plan”.
A summary of the plan, emailed to staff and students today, outlined the steps that they should take if they test positive for coronavirus.
Outbreaks, it says, are “very likely” given that “two confirmed cases in the same area constitute an outbreak”.
Asymptomatic transmission, the document adds, is “a key risk in the university setting”. Staff and students will therefore be expected to act “as if everyone has the disease and thus is a suspected case”.
Those suspected of having coronavirus will be required to take a test and will not be allowed to attend College while they await their result.
If the result comes back negative, the staff member or student will not be permitted to return to College for another 48 hours, as per the HSE guidelines.
Should the result come back positive, students will have to notify their course director who will then be expected to notify the head of school. Staff members will have to go directly to their line manager or head of school.
Heads of schools will then have to contact “COVID Coordinators” who have been assigned to ensure that contract tracing forms have been completed.
The document says that College’s on-site coronavirus facilities will “facilitate rapid testing of suspected cases”.
The document adds that Trinity will have spaces assigned to “isolate confirmed cases” and will also provide facilities “to support students or staff members in self-isolation”.
As part of the response plan, staff and students will be encouraged to download the government’s coronavirus tracker app and to keep track of their close contacts “on a daily basis”.
Last month, The University Times reported that Trinity will have on-site coronavirus testing facilities in the new academic year to prevent clusters developing in the College community.
College Health Service said that isolation rooms will be equipped with hand sanitiser, wipes, tissues, face masks, latex gloves and a clinical-waste disposal bin. The designated rooms all have windows which can be easily opened in order to ventilate the room.
The unwell individual will be instructed to wear a face mask at all times and to avoid touching people, surfaces and objects.
The individual will then be instructed on how to proceed home, either via their own personal transportation such as by car or bike, or via a taxi service that College will be hiring for to transport sick individuals home.
Last month, College announced that on-campus residents and those living in Halls would be invited to participate in a pilot scheme which would allow them to be tested for coronavirus on a regular basis.
An email to students and staff said that such a scheme would help to prevent outbreaks by identifying people who have the virus but are not showing symptoms.
“The science suggests that this limited testing of people living in close quarters will help to prevent outbreaks by alerting people who may have the virus but no symptoms”, the email said. “While we hope that all residents will participate, screening will be voluntary; it should be regarded as an extra measure to prevent the spread of the virus.”
