Distancing during lunch. As students come to the dining hall during lunch, there are many new procedures to ensure that each student is safe. For example, as a student is waiting in line, they are spaced out from those around them to be safe.
Lunch Procedures
Lunch procedures this year are different to help keep the lunch staff and student customers safe. The main goal of these altered procedures is to deliver an adequate breakfast and lunch to students while eliminating as much risk of transmissible germs as possible.
The purpose of these procedures is to reduce the possibility of someone who might be sick transferring their germs onto the food products. While the virus has not been found to be a foodborne illness, tightly sealing foods will ensure that the customers themselves are the only individuals touching their food. — Dining Hall Manager, Ms. Dawn Martin
All food is sealed and covered prior to students’ consumption. While the food may be covered, students still have the opportunity to choose from an array of their favorite foods. Students who buy lunch also eat lunch in the dining hall to reduce the transitioning in the hallways.
Additionally, the lunch staff made an effort to serve many students’ personal favorites. Students took a survey in their Instructional Focus (IF) to inform the lunch staff about their personal preferences. During times like this, everyone is working to support one another in any way they can.
Moreover, students now eat in their designated areas while maintaining social distancing guidelines. Students whose classes allow them to eat in the classroom eat there instead of the dining hall to reduce amassing students. In the dining hall, there are distanced blue dots on the tables which show the students where they are supposed to sit. Social distancing during lunch is crucial to make sure students can enjoy their lunch while also trying as best as they can to reduce any chance of transmission.
Students must make sure to take their mask off properly so they limit the possibility of germs traveling from their mask to their food. Some students might take these precautions as a burden, but it is important to understand that all precautions are to limit the spread of germs and must be taken seriously.