RILEY RAINS / EDITOR IN CHIEF

An illness spreading at the University of San Diego Madrid Center upended class schedules on Sept. 2 and Sept. 3. A few individual professors are hosting classes for students virtually this week, while others canceled completely. Classes are set to resume in-person on Monday, Sept. 7.

There was some initial confusion as to the extent of the changes. USD junior Mia Vorkoper contracted one of the illnesses during a five-day seminar students took in Valencia and Barcelona.

“Pretty early into our Barcelona trip, most of my friends began passing around cough drops and such … I didn’t think much of it,” Vorkoper explained. “But they announced the outbreak and canceled classes on our last day of the seminar and had us mask up on the bus ride back.”

Senior Director of Academic Affairs Carlos Burgos reached out to all students participating in the Madrid Center via email to notify them of the schedule change — Burgos avoided using the words “canceled” or “outbreak” in this internal announcement. 

“There will be no in-person classes on Wednesday, September 2, or Thursday, September 3,” Burgos wrote. “If your professor is planning to hold your class online, they will contact you directly sometime tomorrow with the details. If you do not receive an email from your professor, this means that you will not have an online class.”

As a sick student in recovery, USD junior Grace Lane is grateful for the schedule change. 

“I agree with their decision because if classes were held in person, a lot of people wouldn’t have made it, or people would have gone since attendance is very strict, which would have caused more people to get sick,” Lane shared. “I’ve just been in bed trying to feel better. I have gone out a couple of times to go to the pharmacy or to get something to eat during this time, since Spain doesn’t have a quarantine policy.”

Madrid currently has no restrictions or quarantine requirements for people who contract COVID-19 or influenza. The COVID-19 tests administered at the average Madrid pharmacy also check for influenza and respiratory syncytial virus. Health centers surrounding the university, such as Clínica Ruber Juan Bravo, Hospital San Rafael and Hospital Nuestra Señora del Rosario, are all taking students with a Mapfre card. 

The USD Madrid Center staff is providing access to translators for Toreros who need them. USD students were encouraged to stay indoors, rest up and drink plenty of fluids.

Photo courtesy of @steelerbb / Instagram