Student Quarantine & Isolation

If you have been identified as a direct contact of someone who has COVID-19, you must quarantine for 10 days after your last known contact with the person with COVID-19.

Below you will find some helpful information about quarantine and resources that are available.

The St. Mary’s County Health Department will contact you to ask questions and provide information about the length of your quarantine. SMCM has stricter quarantine protocols due to the nature of our residential community. If you are provided with two different end dates for your quarantine it is important that you remain in quarantine for the longer period of time. If you have questions about the length of your quarantine, please contact the Wellness Center for clarification.

• You must quarantine for 10 days from the last date of contact with the person who is positive. This date will be determined by the St. Mary’s County Health Department. Please note, if you get a negative COVID-19 test while in quarantine, it may not reduce the time you will be in quarantine.
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines state quarantine may be finished
    • After 10 days without testing
    • After 7 days if a test was administered 5 days after exposure with negative results
  • Your official end date will be confirmed by the Wellness Center 
• You should not entertain visitors while you are quarantined.
• You may not attend classes, go to the ARC, work, or go inside other buildings on campus (unless to pick up food or do laundry). Make sure to notify your employer and faculty that you will not be able to attend in-person work or classes until the quarantine restrictions are lifted.
• Please let us know if you have recently submitted a work order so we can make the appropriate arrangements and schedule adjustments.
• The St. Mary’s Dining Team is happy to provide takeout meals for students in quarantine. Meals must be ordered by noon the day prior to pick-up. (If you miss this deadline, please call Residential Life to see if there are alternate arrangements). You may pick up the prepared meal and take it back to your quarantine space. You may designate a friend to pick up your meal.  Meals are not delivered to students in quarantine. Each meal will be deducted from the student’s meal plan as if the student were eating a meal within the cafe. If you do not have a meal plan on campus, you will be charged for the food.
• Please limit errands to necessary trips and plan to pick up food when you know the areas will be less crowded. If you must go out, you should wear gloves and a mask.
• You may wash laundry, if needed. Avoid shaking out your clothes in the laundry room, and maintain social distance. Do not wait in the laundry room. Be sure to dry your clothes thoroughly and fold them in your room.
• The Wellness Center and the St. Mary’s County Health Department will be in regular contact to check on your symptoms. Please respond to their text messages and calls.
• Continue to monitor your temperature and your health with the Daily Symptom Checker. Watch for a fever (100.4 F), cough, shortness of breath, or other symptoms of COVID-19.
• If you feel ill or develop symptoms that could be COVID-19, let the Wellness Center know as soon as possible by calling 240-895-4289 during work hours or Public Safety at 240-895-4911 after work hours.

It is important that you follow the guidelines set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the St. Mary’s County Health Department, and the SMCM Wellness Center to quarantine for 14 days. Thank you for taking these steps to ensure everyone continues to be healthy.

If you were identified as having COVID-19, you must isolate for 10 days from the date the symptoms first started or when you were tested for COVID-19. If you have symptoms, you may be able to end your isolation after 10 days, as long as the last 24 hours are fever-free (without any fever-reducing medication), and your symptoms are improving. Those with severe illness or are immunocompromised, may need at least 20 days of isolation.

Below you will find some helpful information about isolation and resources that are available.

The St. Mary’s County Health Department will contact you to ask questions and provide information about the length of your isolation. SMCM has stricter isolation protocols, due to the nature of our residential community. If you are provided with two different end dates for your isolation, it is important that you remain in isolation for the longer period of time. If you have questions about the length of your isolation, please contact the Wellness Center for clarification.

• You must isolate for 10 days from a positive test or from development of symptoms. This date will be determined by the St. Mary’s County Health Department.
• It is important that those who are infected stay home and separate from others. You will be moved to an isolation room to avoid exposing others. Isolation units have a refrigerator and the isolation suites have microwaves.
• You may choose to isolate yourself at your permanent off-campus residence, if desired.
• You may not entertain visitors while you are isolated. You may not go to the laundry room while in isolation.
• You may not attend classes, go to the ARC, work, or go inside other buildings on campus. Make sure to notify your employer and faculty that you will not be able to attend until the isolation restrictions are lifted.
• Please let us know if you have recently submitted a work order so we can make the appropriate arrangements and schedule adjustments.
• The St. Mary’s Dining Team is happy to provide meals for students in isolation. Meals must be ordered by noon the day prior to pick-up. (If you miss this deadline, please call Residential Life to see if there are alternate arrangements). If you have a friend who can pick up your meal, it will be picked up and delivered by your friend at your convenience. An email will be sent to your friend with pick-up instructions. Otherwise, these meals will be delivered around noon and 5pm each day. If you order breakfast, it will be delivered with the 5pm meal service the day prior. Each meal will be deducted from the student’s meal plan as if the student were eating a meal within the cafe. If you do not have a meal plan on campus and order, you will be charged for the food.
  • A “starter box” is available for purchase (or meal plan deduction) from the Dining Team. This box will contain items such as fresh fruits, drinks, granola bars, and more to help you snack and stay nourished on top of your meals throughout your time in isolation. You can order this on the Isolation Food Request Form.
• The Wellness Center and the St. Mary’s County Health Department will be in regular contact to check on your symptoms. Please respond to their text messages and calls.
• Continue to monitor your temperature and your health with the Daily Symptom Checker. Watch for a fever (100.4 F), cough, shortness of breath, or other symptoms of COVID-19.
• If your symptoms worsen, let the Wellness Center know as soon as possible by calling 240-895-4289 during work hours or Public Safety at 240-895-4911 after work hours.
• At the end of your isolation period, you must inform the SMCM Wellness Center in writing before you return to campus.

It is important that you follow the guidelines set forth by the  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the St. Mary’s County Health Department, and the SMCM Wellness Center to isolate for 10 days. Thank you for taking these steps to ensure everyone continues to be healthy.