Western’s Saugeen-Maitland Hall / Wikimedia
With six outbreaks in less than a week, Western University students’ ‘res-life’ has been cut short.
Western is asking students to move their things out of dorms if possible. This comes after outbreaks were declared in Ontario Hall (Mar. 25), Saugeen-Maitland Hall (Mar. 26), Elgin Hall (Mar. 30), Medway-Sydenham Hall (Mar. 31), Delaware Hall (Apr. 2), Essex Hall (Apr. 4).
“No one’s at fault, because no one wants to be in this sort of situation. But, should the school still have people in residence? That’s kind of what it boils down to. Sometimes you can’t help but think, they are the ones sort of allowing it to progress to the stage that it’s getting to” First-year student, Charlie Smith says.
Charlie Smith, Western first-year student
Smith was part of the outbreak in Ontario Hall, where he says his whole floor started ‘dropping like flies’ after one person tested positive.
“The scary part is how it bounced off the walls and took everybody out, even when we were following the protocols in place. In terms of masks and room limits” Smith says.
The student says him and his floor-mates were moved to Windemere Manor for a 14 day isolation even before test results returned.
“We got a call before testing positive saying, ‘you’ve come in contact with someone with COVID-19. We’re moving you’ ” he says.
Smith says he was probably the most ill out of his entire floor. Experiencing several respiratory issues such as shortness of breath and chest pain had cost him a taxi ride to the hospital for x-rays.
“Thankfully, I’m alright. It was just making its way through my body. I was totally okay, but it was pretty scary.”
With most Western students self-isolating at Windemere, Smith says they were able to stick their heads out of the hotel windows to socialize. Although, isolating in a single room for 14 days had its difficulties.
nrd / Unsplash
“You’re in a single room, no human contact, barely any sun. Some days I was up until like 5, 6am, and then other days I’d pass out at like 8pm. Because it was just so hard to break into a routine when you’re not getting anything new. And especially when you’re sick as well.”
To help while in isolation, Smith advises staying positive and keeping in contact with friends. He says it’s best to keep your brain occupied and do your best to stay alert.
“Western did an amazing job,” the COVID survivor says. “All my professors were really understanding, and all the food, the hotel, even the taxi ride to the hospital. They covered all of that.”
Even with a high appreciation for Western’s accommodations, Smith says he will be moving his things out of his dorm at Ontario Hall, with a worry that he may catch another strain of COVID-19 if he stays. But the student still cherishes the first year experience he was still able to have.
“If I could go back in time and not go to Res, compared to not getting COVID. I would not change a thing because of the people I met and the experiences I had” Smith says.
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