UTK’s Reactive Response to the Outbreak: Where Do We Go From Here?

From the beginning of the semester, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has seen daily COVID-19 cases far greater than the Harvard Global Health Institute's threshold for the "tipping point for uncontrolled community spread." While other colleges and universities anticipated such situations and developed concrete, preemptive plans for widespread testing, contact tracing, and supported isolation/quarantine spaces, UTK had no plans. Instead, the administration has relied on a reactive approach that has allowed the outbreak to burn uncontrolled.

As the administration scrambles to react to the unrestrained viral spread, Vice Chancellor for Student Life Frank Cuevas announced on Wednesday, "With the drastic rise of COVID-19 cases in our campus community, we need to create more self-isolation space for students living on campus. While we have secured an additional hotel, more space is needed for the weeks and months ahead. We have identified Massey Hall as the best option for that space due to its low occupancy rate and number of beds. This means we will need to relocate students currently living in Massey to other residence halls on campus."

The issue now arises on how to implement this move while also mitigating potential downside risks. According to the administration, "In order to prevent moving residents who may unknowingly have COVID-19, personnel from the Student Health Center will come to Massey Hall to test all residents tomorrow and Friday. You will receive more information from the Student Health Center later today with instructions on how to make an appointment. If you choose to return home, we will also provide a test for you before you leave."

However, a limitation exists in this approach by the administration. According to the CDC, there is a possibility of obtaining false-negative results from individuals tested during the virus's incubation phase. The incubation period of the virus ranges from 2-14 days and averages about 4-5 days. These individuals then may go on to become infectious to others.^[1]

With these testing limitations, unintended consequences could arise because of Massey residents moving into other halls. Moving students from building to building induces population mixing, which could further increase the viral spread. During a period of high disease prevalence, consolidating students and increasing density in other residence halls may increase cluster probability. Chancellor Plowman noted during her COVID-19 Update, "Our contact tracers tell us that the most likely place for the transmission of COVID-19 so far, has been getting together in closed spaces without masks, where people cannot spread out."^[2] It remains to be seen whether there will be a net benefit in taking this action.

To suppress the increased concerns of student consolidation, Chancellor Plowman announced on Thursday new measures that place restrictions on students’ interactions with one another. Although the Chancellor indicated these expire after two weeks, it is unlikely that the broader pandemic situation will change anytime soon; to reduce viral transmission, these types of measures will likely have to remain in place for the foreseeable future.

There is a growing consensus among public health experts and epidemiologists that shaming and chastising people for high-risk behavior is ineffective.^[3] Forming social bonds and engaging in risk behavior is a part of human development and is especially prevalent in college-age individuals. Many young adults have not yet developed a propensity for personal safety, let alone a capacity for societal risk calculations. Attempting to sequester these biological dynamics by instituting rules and penalties is futile. Placing restrictions without providing alternative opportunities to engage in lower-risk social behavior has not proven successful. The University should be stepping up to encourage lower-risk social interactions by providing meaningful avenues to do so. Just as we need to have a robust system for identifying cases, tracing contacts, and supporting isolation and quarantine, we also need a clear strategy for encouraging lower-risk socializing among students.

The administration's reactive actions beg the broader question of what they are doing to plan for the near and mid-term future. Thus far, the minimal planning and reactionary approach have proven grossly inadequate. The need for transparency, concrete strategy, and practical action cannot be understated. What is the administration doing to plan for the remainder of this semester? What about next semester?