University, Milwaukee Health Department direct Cobeen Hall residents to quarantine for two weeks

In coordination with the Milwaukee Health Department, Marquette University has directed residents of Cobeen Hall to quarantine for 14 days effective at 11 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25. This is in response to a confirmed cluster of increasing COVID-19 cases among residents of the hall.

To be as proactive as possible, and with the health and safety of our campus community as our top priority, the university is taking the following actions in coordination with the Milwaukee Health Department:

Quarantine Timing and Logistics

  • All Cobeen Hall residents are directed to quarantine in their rooms beginning at 11 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25. That means students should not leave the building to attend classes or for any other reason except for a medical appointment.
  • All Cobeen Hall residents should email their professors to alert them that they have been placed on quarantine.
  • While you are in quarantine at Cobeen Hall, you are expected to complete COVID Cheq each day. Students who develop symptoms during quarantine should call the Medical Clinic at 414-288-7184.
  • The Cobeen Hall dining facility will be available to Cobeen Hall residents in quarantine for carry out only. The Cobeen Hall dining facility will not be open to non-Cobeen Hall residents until the quarantine is lifted.
  • Students should NOT move out of the residence halls or leave town; they should quarantine in their rooms. CDC guidance suggests that students should not travel home during this two-week period. This is to protect you, your family, and the community. Staying where you are is the safest course of action. Again, DO NOT LEAVE CAMPUS — STUDENTS SHOULD QUARANTINE IN THEIR ROOMS.
  • If students choose to leave campus to quarantine, it must be only at their permanent address and they need to stay off-campus for all 14 days of the quarantine. They must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test from a test date of Oct. 4 or later prior to returning from the 14-day quarantine. Students choosing to quarantine at their permanent place of residence must notify the hall director.
  • Further, any student who chooses to leave campus must do so in a private vehicle—they should not take public transportation, including planes trains, buses, taxis, Ubers, etc., particularly across state lines.

Testing for all Cobeen Hall Residents 

  • All Cobeen Hall residents who have not been tested for COVID-19 this week will be required to be tested the week of September 28. A follow-up email with the date, time and location for the testing is forthcoming. Residents will be contacted with an appointment time for testing. Residents who have had a positive test in the past 90 days will not be retested and do not need to be quarantined. Those residents must provide proof of a positive result.
  • Residents who test positive will be directed to isolate in university-identified isolation space. Violation of isolation or quarantine directives will result in university sanctions via the student conduct process and/or placed under an order by the Milwaukee Health Department.

Services for Quarantined Students

  • Marquette is committed to ensuring our students receive the comprehensive physical, emotional and spiritual care they need during quarantine. The university is coordinating pastoral care, academic services such as virtual tutoring and mental health resources through the Counseling Center for Cobeen Hall residents in quarantine. More information will be shared with Cobeen Hall residents via their Marquette email tomorrow.

The university asks that everyone take care of themselves and others during this time, and remember that YOU make the difference in slowing the spread of COVID-19.