How to (More) Live Safely in a Hostel During a Pandemic

There is no “safe” way to live in a hostel during a pandemic. As wary as your college kid is, he has no control over whether Johnny Dumbass in the hallway is still worth standing on barrels at frat parties on weekends. Nothing can be guaranteed that all these young people live together in a confined space with so many common areas, but there are some precautions you can remind them to be safer .

Maintain basic hygiene

If there’s anything the coronavirus has gifted us with, it’s a renewed push to wash our hands and keep dirty, bacteria-infected fingers away from our faces. Is this what we should have been committed to and what should have been focusing on all this time? Of course, but we were not like that, and it took us a pandemic to say, “Fiiiiin, 20 seconds, got it.”

By now, we know we don’t have to wipe food down with disinfectant wipes before letting it go indoors, but once someone gets home or to their dorm? Wash your hands. Going to eat? Wash them. Haven’t you washed them for a long time? Wash them again. Not near the sink? Disinfect.

Between washing and disinfection, do not touch your mouth, eyes, or nose. Have to cough or sneeze? Point it at your elbow (or a napkin if you have enough time to grab it). The basics work, so stick with them.

Masks and distancing

Dr. Prity Malani, chief medical officer and professor of infectious diseases at the University of Michigan, suggests in the New York Times that college students should consider their door-door room as home , rather than the entire dormitory . Once upon a time, they hung out together in common areas or gathered in hallways to chat. This year, if you are not in your room, you will need to wear a mask (unless you are outside and more than six feet away from others).

Malani puts it best:

Face masks only provide protection when worn correctly, so try different types of cloth masks to find one that fits well and is comfortable to wear for several hours. You should be able to talk and move around without a mask that requires frequent fitting. Think of face masks as underwear – have multiple pairs, wash them often, and don’t share with each other.

Of course, you can’t eat, sleep or live with a mask, so you probably won’t wear one in your room. So if you have roommates, Malani suggests talking to them ahead of time to find out what is comfortable for everyone and what boundaries you can set to keep each other as safe as possible.

A couple of final ideas

We know transmission of the virus is less likely outdoors or in well-ventilated areas, so make ventilation of your room a top priority, especially if someone other than you or your roommate needs to enter. Open windows and turn on fans to circulate air in the room.

And in common areas that cannot be completely avoided, such as showers or dining rooms, try to use them during off-peak hours. Take a shower during your lunch break and grab a meal when your lunch break dies down. The more you can avoid common areas in the knowledge that they will be overcrowded, the safer you will be.