Health + Wellness

Nearly everyone’s lives and routines have been upended by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many students physically moved, adapted to online learning and socializing, and made countless other adjustments.

Adapting to those kinds of unexpected, dramatic changes can take a toll on your health. It’s important that students take care of themselves, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Student Health and Wellness offers many ways to help.

At this time, mental health, primary care services, and well-being programs are predominantly being offered remotely unless the in-person care is essential or in crisis situations.

Prevention, testing, and treatment

All students will be provided with a wellness kit including two face masks, hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes and a digital thermometer.

Students will be asked to monitor their symptoms each day. We are currently evaluating the use of technology that will assist in tracking symptoms.
Students at higher risk for severe illness, per CDC guidance, may request reasonable accommodations through Homewood Disability Services

COVID-19 testing

Testing will be available for any student reporting symptoms and who meets criteria set by the CDC and Johns Hopkins’ Department of Hospital Epidemiology and Infection Control.
Testing protocols may also include the proactive testing of roommates, screening of athletics teams, closely monitoring selected sites, and surveillance testing throughout the semester
For those who test positive, follow-up of close campus contacts will be done by JHU using a combination of in-person interviews and possibly technology; a final decision on what technology will be used has not yet been made

Quarantine and isolation

All students who test positive for COVID-19, regardless of whether they show symptoms, will be required to follow CDC guidelines and remain in isolation until (a) it has been at least three days with no symptoms and fever without the aid of fever-reducing medication; (b) respiratory symptoms have improved (e.g. cough, shortness of breath); and (c) it has been at least 10 days since symptoms first appeared.
All students who have been determined by the Johns Hopkins COVID-19 Call Center to have had meaningful exposure to someone who has tested positive will be required to quarantine and monitor their symptoms for 14 days.
Students living in on-campus or university-secured housing who need to quarantine or isolate will be required to move to a designated location set aside by the university. Students living off campus will need to quarantine or isolate in their off-campus residences.

Mental health

The COVID-19 outbreak may be stressful, particularly for those with family and friends affected. Students experiencing stress or anxiety can find support resources at wellness.jhu.edu or contact their school’s student affairs office. Other resources include:

Counseling Center: 410-516-8278
Office of Multicultural Affairs: 410-516-8730
Religious and Spiritual Life: 410-516-1880

Athletics + Recreation

A decision regarding fall intercollegiate athletics is expected to be made by the Centennial Conference in late June, after which JHU can make further determinations about what will be appropriate for our student-athletes. The NCAA has issued guidelines for resocialization and reacclimatization to sport, and internal discussions are happening around ways to best mitigate risk to student-athletes and staff.
The O’Connor Recreation Center will be open for normal operating hours with a reduced capacity (max occupancy will be 60 people, excluding group exercise). All activity will be by online reservation only–students will reserve a time slot for the weight area, cardio equipment, and/or exercise and wellness classes.
In-person group exercise classes will be limited to 10 participants.
All participants must wear face coverings while in the Rec and Athletic centers and agree to abide by enhanced safety protocols
Due to construction and safety protocols, the experience in the Rec Center will be quite different:
- The strength area is now on Scott Gym Court 1
- Cardio equipment is now on Court 2
- Court 3 will be used for group exercise classes
Tennis courts will be open.
Locker rooms, climbing wall, and the Rec gym will be closed
When the pool reopens, each lane will be reserved for a specified amount of time.
For now, there will be no informal, intramural, or sport club activity where appropriate physical distancing cannot be maintained. Activities and participation numbers will be modified as state, city, and university officials relax constraints.
We will continue to offer virtual fitness classes and expand these opportunities to meet demand.