Respiratory illnesses include influenza (flu), COVID-19, RSV, the common cold as well as others. Reference the Centers for Disease Control website to learn more about Respiratory Illnesses.
Examples of respiratory symptoms: fever, chills, sore throat, congestion, fatigue, cough, runny nose, decreased appetite, vomiting, new loss of taste or smell, headache, muscle or body aches, diarrhea, and weakness.
If you have symptoms such as difficulty breathing or chest pain, please seek emergency medical care by calling 911 or going to the nearest Emergency Department. If you believe you have symptoms of Long COVID, please seek guidance from your healthcare provider. For more information about Long COVID, please visit the CDC website.
Prevention of illness includes: hand washing, immunizations (COVID-19, influenza), masking, physical distancing, increasing fresh air.
Stay home and away from others if you have respiratory virus symptoms.
- Consider testing for COVID-19 and flu. You should stay home even if you don’t know what virus is making you sick. Purchase a rapid antigen test where COVID Rapid antigen tests are available.
- Stay away from others in your household. Wear a mask when around others.
- Wash your hands often with soap and warm water. If soap and water are not available, use hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol.
- Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze. Use a tissue or your inner elbow, not your hands.
- Clean high-touch surfaces (such as countertops, handrails, and doorknobs) often.
You may begin to resume normal activities with precautions if:
- You have not had a fever for at least 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medicines, AND
- Your other symptoms are improving
For at least the first five (5) days after you resume normal activities, take these extra precautions:
- Wear a mask anytime you are indoors around other people
- Cover your coughs and sneezes
- Wash your hands often with soap and warm water. If soap and water are not available, use hand sanitizer
- Avoid crowded indoor spaces and spending time with people who are at increased risk for severe disease
- If your fever comes back or any other symptoms start to get worse, you should stay home and repeat the isolation process, waiting until you are fever-free and other symptoms improving for at least 24 hours
- If you tested positive for a respiratory virus but do not have any symptoms, you may be contagious. For the next five (5) days: take added precaution, such as taking additional steps for cleaner air, hygiene, masks, physical distancing, and/or testing when you will be around other people indoors
Informing Your Roommate
It’s important that students and roommates have conversations and make plans for what to do if one tests positive for a respiratory illness, as there is no reserved space on campus for moving the positive student or their roommate(s). Students who test positive are encouraged to isolate at their permanent residence or family home if within a reasonable distance to campus. Alternatively, students can isolate in place in their current housing assignment. Students should work with their professors to make alternative arrangements for course requirements that may be missed during an isolation period.
Living with a Roommate who is Isolating
A student sharing a room with a COVID-positive person has the option of remaining in the room. If a student decides to seek alternative housing, it will be at their own expense.
Wear a mask at all times and maintain as much distance as possible from your roommate. Continue to wipe down shared surfaces, frequent hand washing, and avoid touching your face and mouth.
Emerson College dorms are equipped with hospital grade HEPA filters which were implemented during the height of the COVID pandemic. Students may also open windows where able to increase ventilation.
Students who have been exposed to COVID-19 may refer to the CDC isolation and exposure calculator for guidance around symptom development and when to perform rapid antigen tests if indicated.
Emerson College follows guidelines promoted by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH), and the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC). You can find more information here:
- Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
- Massachusetts Department of Public Health
- Boston Public Health Commission
Antiviral medications for COVID-19 and flu are available for those at increased risk of severe illness, and are available by prescription from a health care provider. Many over the counter medications can be effective in treating respiratory illness symptoms.
If you would like additional information, or would like to be seen by a healthcare provider (in person or via telehealth), please call Emerson Health Services at 617-824-8666, or schedule an appointment via the Student Health Portal.
We encourage you to practice healthy habits and we seek your partnership in combating illness!