With thousands of students living in densely populated on-campus housing, San Jose State’s recent suspension of classes to slow the spread of new coronavirus has many concerned about possibly getting infected.
“I’ve been staying cooped up in my room, just not going into public places like the mall or something,” digital media art sophomore Zachary Lum said.
Lum lives in an apartment in Campus Village Building B with six other people.
Dr. Barbara Fu, health professional and internal medicine specialist, stated in an email to the Spartan Daily that students living in dorms and apartments should practice physical social distancing as people closer to each other can potentially increase the risk of transmission.
“Consider arranging beds so that they are at least 3 to 6 feet apart,” Fu stated.
Other students are worried about the common surfaces they need to touch to get to their living areas.
“Like elevators, I feel kind of scared just because, like, we’re always touching the same things,” said biochemistry freshman Cindy Au, who lives in Campus Village Building 2.
Fu also advised that students should consider using dining areas or bathroom facilities at non-peak times if possible, and not using common rooms.
Some students are still using the SRAC but are taking extra sanitary precautions.
“I sanitize using the wipes. I’m probably not going to go [to the SRAC] as often as I used to. But, yeah, I mean, definitely being cautious,” Lum said. “I used to go to the mall a lot with my friends, but we decided not to go because . . . there’s a lot of people there.”
Social distancing and shorter hours of operation in places like the Student Union have made some students feel more detached.
Fu encourages students to think about other ways to stay connected with their peers and friends.
Because administration mandated online instruction until the end of spring break, some students do not feel the need to be on campus and were already making their way back home to avoid Santa Clara County entirely.
“It’s not that the dorms are unsafe,” said aerospace engineering freshman Sean Kim, who was waiting for his parents to pick him up to go back home. “It’s just the [Santa Clara] area, it’s, like, there’s people that have a virus.”
Fu advises that if someone thinks they have the virus, they should call a healthcare provider or the Student Health Center to discuss their concerns.
