Access passes will be used to halt virus at Oberlin College

OBERLIN — Green passes will be needed to access dining halls during the spring semester at Oberlin College, and they may eventually be used to regulate entry to other areas. The college announced Tuesday it will expand the use of Full Measure, a smartphone survey app. Students, staff and faculty must field daily questions about their health — and based on their answers, they'll get either green access or a gray restriction. "Downloading your access pass demonstrates a commitment to public health and the health of your fellow Obies, as well as a commitment to your own health by self-assessing how you feel each day," said a message posted by the college communications office. The Full Measure app has been used this academic year, but the dining hall rule is new for the spring semester. College housing will reopen Jan. 25 and classes begin Feb. 1. Compared with other higher education institutions, Oberlin kept a tight lid on COVID-19 cases through the fall. It administered 11,135 tests for the virus throughout the first semester, and found 28 positives. Testing already has resumed before students return. As of Jan. 11, another 1,149 tests had been run in 2021, the most recent data released, resulting in eight new positives cases. Tests are done by Mercy Health Allen Hospital staff and sent to Tempus in Chicago for processing. Through the fall, a quarter of the campus population was tested each week. Katie Gravens, Oberlin's COVID-19 campus health coordinator, made the case Tuesday for contact tracing when students test positive for the coronavirus. Students are expected to provide the college with their cellphone numbers and take calls from unknown numbers, since they could be important medical calls. Those who are moved to isolation should expect calls from unknown numbers and answer, according to a campus bulletin. "Talk to the contact tracer when they call," Gravens wrote. "We know that we might call you at times that are inconvenient, but we are making every effort to control the spread of the virus." It's unclear when professors and other employees will get access to the COVID-19 vaccine. Unlike K-12 staff, they aren't included in Ohio's February rollout. Oberlin College is in the process of applying to be a distribution center for students, faculty and staff, according to information provided by Director of Media Relations Scott Wargo. The college hasn't determined whether the vaccine will be mandatory for students once it becomes available, though it did require them to get flu shots in the fall. Employees will be strongly encouraged to be vaccinated. Eddie Gisemba, director of health promotion for students, noted Tuesday that it would be incorrect to assume the entire public will be receptive to getting the vaccine. Many American families are skipping vaccinations these days, which has led to outbreaks of diseases like the measles, he said. Some have incorrectly linked increases in autism and asthma to childhood vaccinations. What will motivate people to be vaccinated against COVID-19? Gisemba said how susceptible people feel they are to the virus will play a big role. "Do we know people that have had COVID-19? If so, how bad was it?" he said. "We must contend with the myth that vaccines cause the disease they are meant to prevent, as well as some public distrust of the health care infrastructure." Contact Jason Hawk at (440) 329-7122 or news@lcnewspapers.com.