Original article
COVID-19 Response Strategies at Large Institutes of Higher Education in the United States: A Landscape Analysis, Fall 2020

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2021.01.016Get rights and content

Abstract

Purpose

To examine the pandemic response plans of institutes of higher education (i.e., colleges and universities), including COVID-19 prevention, enforcement, and testing strategies.

Method

Data from the largest public (n = 50) and private (n = 50) US institutes of higher education were collected from October 30 to November 20, 2020.

Results

Most institutes of higher education (n = 93) offered some in-person teaching in the Fall 2020 semester; most adopted masking (100%) and physical distancing (99%) mandates. Other preventive strategies included on-campus housing de-densification (58%), classroom de-densification (61%), mandated COVID-19-related training (39%), and behavioral compacts (43%). Testing strategies included entry testing (65%), testing at regular intervals (32%), population sample testing (46%), and exit testing (15%). More private than public institutes implemented intercollegiate athletics bans, behavioral compacts, and suspension clauses for noncompliance.

Conclusions

Variability in COVID-19 prevention and testing strategies highlights the need for national recommendations and the equitable distribution of sufficient pandemic response resources to institutes of higher education.

Keywords

Institutes of higher education
IHEs
COVID-19
Pandemic response
Young adult
Public health
College
Universities
COVID-19 testing
Health policy

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Conflicts of interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

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