Boston College ramping up efforts to contain COVID-19 on campus

BOSTON — As students prepare to come back to Boston College, they’re also preparing to be extra COVID-19-conscious.

“It’s not the most normal year but I am happy to see they are taking some precautions,” said Brett Gullickson, a Boston College senior.

Boston College says all students who plan to be on campus must be tested for the novel coronavirus.

Liz Breadon, the Boston City Councilor for District 9 where BC is located, says BC will hire a police detail on Thursday, Friday and Saturday to shut down any off-campus parties.

A Boston College spokesperson tells Boston 25 News a police detail has assisted on weekends for nearly two decades and this would be nothing additional of what the school already does.

Gullickson, who lived off-campus this summer, says he didn’t see any but adds, “I think it’s a valid concern.”

And despite precautions, some Allston-Brighton neighbors remain worried. Breadon also sent a letter to the President of Boston University and Boston College expressing her concerns about students returning to the area. The letter says in part:

“The physical proximity of off-campus students to neighborhood residents increases the risk of community spread beyond the university campus.”

At BC, students had to sign a pledge promising to self-check for the virus daily. BC senior Sitora Raupoa said it contains several items students agreed to abide by including, “complying with the social distancing and quarantining if you feel sick or have symptoms.”

Bill Evans, BC’s director of public safety, said off-campus students should respect their neighbors. “We’re not going to be the party police and be down there breaking up parties and worrying about them, we just want them to respect the neighborhood,” he said. “There’s a lot of great residents in Allston-Brighton.”

BC students say they agree – especially this year.

“I think a lot of these students are pretty responsible,” said Raupoa.

Some BC students have already arrived on and off-campus and will continue to move in over the next week. Classes begin on Aug. 31.

Boston College ramping up efforts to contain COVID-19 on campus As students prepare to come back to Boston College, they’re also preparing to be extra Covid-19-conscious.

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RESOURCES:

- Massachusetts Coronavirus Information

- Boston Coronavirus Information

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