University of Arizona students react to dorm resident testing positive for COVID-19

TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD News 13) - University of Arizona students spent Wednesday moving out of their dorms after news that there were people affiliated with the school tested positive for COVID-19.

"Things got progressively worse," said freshman Mason Duhon. "I didn’t want to take my chances with it.”

He was a resident in the Arizona-Sonora Hall where university officials said another resident tested positive for coronavirus.

“The first thing I did was just plan to get out,” Duhon said.

The university prepared to move the remaining students to a clean dorm, but Duhon didn’t see the point.

"It doesn’t make sense to just bring everyone together so I figured I’d just up and leave,” he said.

But while he prepares to leave, graduate student Aoife Martin doesn’t see the point in moving home.

"There’s really no reason in my eyes to move back to Seattle and risk being infected when I can stay here,” Martin said.

She lives just across the street from Arizona-Sonora hall in graduate student housing that’s allowed to stay open. For now, Martin said she isn’t too concerned.

“I’m not too nervous but I definitely think I would have been more nervous if school had started and it had been more active,” she said.

She’s among the few who remain on an eerily quiet campus. Choosing to wait it out, while others can’t wait to put distance between themselves and the dorms.

“After finding out somebody tested positive here, I don’t want to risk it,” Duhon said.

University officials said that anyone who was inside the Arizona-Sonora dorm from March 14 to March 18 should self-monitor and to contact campus health if they feel sick.

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