Coronavirus (COVID-19) On-Campus Housing FAQs

The License Agreement is binding at the time you agree(d) to its terms. From a financial perspective, however, only the provisions related to Housing Application Fees, Rent Down Payments and late cancellation fees (if any) are effective before you arrive on campus and move into your dorm. Under the terms of the License Agreement, if you cancel your housing application/assignment before you move in, or you don’t move in (you are a “no-show”), you will not be responsible for academic year rent charges beyond those application-related fees. If semester rent charges have already been posted to your account, they will be reversed at the time your cancellation/no-show is processed.

Rent is charged for the dorm room regardless of the modality of your classes. More specific details will be found in the Housing License Agreement and Addendum.

The Housing office does not have access to student’s medical records. Consequently, we cannot make room assignments nor re-assignments based on students' vaccination status. For more information, please visit covid19.arizona.edu.

If you think someone might be ill, please encourage them to seek care at Campus Health immediately. Please remember to be respectful, thoughtful, and considerate. We are all collectively responsible for our community’s well-being. Be sure that you are taking care of yourself and looking out for other campus community members.

There will be no temporary relocation of residents due to suspected positive cases, students should be directed to Campus Health.

As we all know, the risk that COVID-19 poses can be reduced but cannot be eliminated at this time. On-campus activities and dorm living present additional potential risks which should be considered carefully against the many benefits of living on-campus.

That being said, Housing & Residential Life and the University of Arizona are going to great lengths to reduce that risk wherever possible.

Each resident must adhere to the guidelines and recommendations set forth by Housing & Residential Life, Campus Health, the University of Arizona, the City of Tucson, and the State of Arizona.

Once a student moves into their dorm room or apartment, their space is considered a domestic, private domicile and not a public space where they routinely come into contact with others. We consider dorm rooms or apartments the student’s private home and thus cannot guarantee what behaviors or practices are followed within these spaces.

Housing & Residential Life will continue to provide residents with educational messaging and guidance for communal living, however it is ultimately the student’s responsibility to abide by guidance and physical distancing recommendations within their dorm room or apartment. 

Housing & Residential Life enacted several building updates and modifications to align with CDC guidelines. We have been using our elevated cleaning protocols since March 2020. Additionally, we encourage students to review and follow our residential best practices.

If you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms after hours, you can call Campus Health's After Hours number at (520) 570-7898 and speak with a medical provider. 

Please review the University's COVID-19 Exposure Protocol. 

If you have been fully vaccinated, you do not need to quarantine.

However, you should get tested 5-7 days after your exposure and watch for symptoms and get tested right away should you have any. You should mask in indoor settings and continue to monitor for symptoms for a full 14 days after your exposure.

If you are not fully vaccinated, please read on and take the following actions:

• Call Campus Health to discuss next steps and testing at (520) 621-9202.
• Stay in your room most of the time and follow CDC guidelines. See the quarantine instructions below.
• Monitor your health for any possible symptoms. If symptoms develop, stay home and call Campus Health.

Quarantine means staying in your room most of the time unless you need to leave for essential trips. These include bathroom breaks, picking up food (to eat in your room) and occasional breaks for fresh air and exercise where you can maintain physical distance. When away from your room, always wear a mask, avoid groups, and limit your exposure with others as much as possible.

You may be able to shorten your quarantine

• After day 7 if you receive a negative test result (test must occur on day 5 or later) you can be released from quarantine. You can also leave after 10 days in quarantine, but need to continue masking and monitoring for symptoms for a full 14 days
• If you receive a positive test result, you will need to isolate with instructions from Campus Health

How to Safely Quarantine:

• No In-Person Classes – Go to classes online only (if available) and let your instructor know.
• Mask Up – Make sure to wear a mask at all times when outside of your room, no exceptions.
• Watch Your Distance and Wash Your Hands - Stay at least 6 feet away from others, and wash your hands or use hand sanitizer frequently.
• Shared Restrooms - It’s OK to use shared restrooms. Try to use the restroom during low traffic times. Please clean up after yourself.
• Socializing - Social contacts will need to remain online. Do not socialize in-person during quarantine.
• Food & Meals - Get food delivered or have a friend drop off meals at your door, if possible. If picking up carry out is the only option, wear a mask, limit your exposure and go during less busy times.
• Work Online Only - Do not go to work in person. Talk with your supervisor or HR representative to discuss options while you quarantine.
• Exercise and Outside Time - Go outside to walk or do light activity in places where there are few people. Walk by yourself, make sure to distance from others, and go outside during low traffic times.
• Remain in Quarantine for up to 14 days, or until you receive further instructions from Campus Health or from SAFER, a campus contact tracing group. See above for timing and options to leave quarantine early.
• Watch for Symptoms - Monitor your health and call Campus Health at (520) 621-9202 if you develop any symptoms or have questions or concerns about your health. After Hours, please call (520) 570-7898.

Please visit the COVID-19 testing page for more information. If you are currently experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, stay isolated, self-quarantine and call to make an appointment with Campus Health Services or your healthcare provider.

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Cleaning Packets and Buckets are available through your front desk for check out:

• Cleaning Packets consist of:

  • Disinfecting wipes

    • After cleaning with the wipes, you can keep or dispose of any unused wipes, you won’t return them to the desk.

• The cleaning buckets are for rooms with a private or suite bathroom and consist of:

  • Cleaning bucket

  • Cleaning rags

  • Gloves

  • Toilet bowl brush (for dorms with pod, suite-style or private restrooms)

  • Roll of paper towels

  • Spray bottle of disinfectant

• The cleaning bucket and spray bottle should be returned to your front desk upon completion of your quarantine

Best practices for disinfecting room surfaces

• If possible, wear reusable or disposable gloves for routine cleaning and disinfection

• Clean surfaces using soap and water, then use disinfectant

  • Cleaning with soap and water reduces number of germs, dirt and impurities on the surface

  • Disinfecting kills germs on surfaces

• Follow the instructions found on the disinfectant label (often the product must be left on a surface for 5 minutes before wiping to kill the germs)

• Practice daily routine cleaning of frequently touched surfaces

  • High-touch surfaces include tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, handles, desks, phones, keyboards, toilets, faucets, sinks, etc.

  • Shared items, like microwaves and refrigerators

Request for custodial staff to disinfect your room

• You can request to have Housing custodial staff disinfect your room if your roommate has tested positive

• This request can be submitted through a maintenance request. Follow the instructions at Maintenance Request

  • Custodial is available from 7AM-3PM (Monday-Friday)

    • If you submit a request after 3PM or on the weekend, it will be addressed the next business day

    • If there is an emergency after 3PM or on the weekend and cannot wait until the next business day, please work with dorm staff to submit an after-hours request

• In preparation for the custodial staff’s arrival, please remove any of the following items from out in the open:

  • Food and drinks

  • Electronics

  • Any items that touch your face, such as makeup

• Once custodial staff has arrived, they will ask that you step out of the room for about 15 minutes while they disinfect the space

• Once you return to the space, please open your window and leave it open for about 30 minutes

Please review the University's Positive Case Protocol.

If you have a positive result you will go directly to our isolation dorm for up to 10 days.

• If students are local or have the ability to go home, we encourage you to do so for the duration of your isolation period. If going home is not an option, positive testing students will be moved to an isolation dorm. All students isolating on campus will have access to a virtual healthcare provider.
• The Resident Assistant (RA) from the students assigned dorm will remain the student’s RA and will provide virtual support to the student throughout their stay in the isolation dorm.
• Breakfast, lunch and dinner will be provided to you at no cost during your stay in the isolation dorm.
  • Housing will collect any dietary preferences and allergies you may have, and will relay that information to the Meal Plans Office.
  • Food delivery services are permitted, however deliveries must be contactless; please meet deliveries in the lobby area only.
• On Day 6 of isolation, you will have the option of re-testing (symptoms must be improving and you must be fever-free for at least 24 hours). If you test negative on Day 6, you must be released by your UArizona healthcare provider before being allowed to move back to your permanent dorm assignment.
• If you test positive on Day 6, you must remain in isolation until Day 10. No additional tests or follow-up from a healthcare provider is needed.
• Your fall semester dorm room assignment will be held for you and Housing will help you move once you are through with isolation.
• You may be subject to additional testing during this time.

You will also be sent the following information: Moving to An Isolation Dorm

Please visit the following University webpage for more information regarding vaccines on campus: https://covid19.arizona.edu/vaccine

Please visit the following University webpage for more information regarding vaccines on campus: https://covid19.arizona.edu/required-testing

If you experience any COVID-19 symptoms, we recommend you call to make an appointment to get tested by Campus Health or your health care provider.

Please review the current University guidance on the use of masks.