Return to RUSM Housing Plan

Under Phase 2 of our campus reopening plan, RUSM is allowing students to return who previously had university housing in Coverley. This includes students who want to:

• Return temporarily to pack up their belongings

• Return and live in RUSM housing for the Fall 2020 semester

• Return to Barbados to live before the start of the Fall 2020 semester*

*Students interested in returning for the remainder of the Summer 2020 semester should contact RUSM Housing immediately at [email protected] to discuss this option. RUSM Housing will charge a $50/day rate to cover costs associated with your accommodations (e.g., rent, water, electricity but not internet).

If you had a previous RUSM housing assignment and wish to return to either pack your belongings or stay for the Fall 2020 semester, please email [email protected] (preferably by September 7, 2020) for approval to return. Your email should include your anticipated dates of travel, any flight itineraries, and your purpose for travel.

RUSM Housing will review your email within 48 hours of submission and will inform you if your request has been approved. We ask for at least 14 days’ advance notice before arriving to Barbados.

The Grantley Adams International Airport reopened on July 12, 2020 and is currently welcoming international commercial flights. The government is enforcing strict travel and COVID testing protocols for passengers from high and medium risk countries, including the United States and Canada.

Students who wish to travel to Barbados are doing so at their own discretion. We ask each student to consider the risks of travel and their own circumstances when making that decision.

Please be aware of government-mandated testing and quarantining requirements, which could have financial implications and may disrupt your academics. As these are government policies, RUSM will be unable to help you if you are instructed to quarantine at a government-authorized facility.

The Barbados government website has up-to-date guidance on traveler entry and exit requirements. As the pandemic evolves, these protocols have remained fluid so please check this website on a regular basis for current guidance.

As of August 3, 2020, the Barbados government requires all travelers to do the following:

• Complete Online Immigration/Customs form at travelform.gov.bb and submit 24 hours prior to travel.

• To be considered for process fast-tracking upon arrival, persons are advised to take a COVID-19 PCR test from an accredited facility 72 hours prior to travel. Persons from countries with the “Bubble” (St. Lucia, St. Kitts & Nevis, Grenada, Dominica and St. Vincent & The Grenadines) are not required to take a test prior to, or on arrival in Barbados.

• Be sure to submit your results online at travelform.gov.bb and travel with a copy of your test results.

• Travelers without a negative COVID-19 PCR test result will be required to take a test upon arrival.

• Specific travelers who have non-standard circumstances that need to be addressed, are advised to contact The Ministry of Health and Wellness via [email protected] at least 72 hours prior to travel to Barbados to have their requests investigated and facilitated.

• Remember to wear a mask on your flight.

Passengers from high-risk countries, including the United States, must follow these additional protocols:

• Before disembarking, have your COVID-19 PCR test result visible (if applicable). These results will be screened for validity by the Ministry of Health and Wellness in Barbados.

• Masks must be worn while at the airport in Barbados.

• All travelers must undergo a health screening.

• If you haven’t submitted proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test result or the test is not validated, you will be required to take a test and remain at the airport or a government facility until the results are available.

• Persons from high-risk countries with a valid negative COVID-19 PCR test result must still quarantine at a designated holding hotel or approved villa at their own expense, or free of charge at a government facility, and will be monitored daily for the onset of symptoms. These persons will be required to take a second COVID-19 PCR test within 7 days after the last test accepted by the Ministry of Health and Wellness. Persons will typically be released once the test result is negative.

• If your test is positive, you will be transported to an alternative accommodation for isolation, where you’ll stay until you’ve recovered. Upon recovery, you can resume your vacation or you may return home

• Those persons who are deemed to have been in close contact with a positive case will be quarantined at approved facilities.

A visitor who does not present a valid negative result and declines testing upon arrival will be denied entry into Barbados. 

If you are traveling from a high risk country, including the United States, you will be required to quarantine upon arrival to Barbados. The type of quarantine you must undergo will be dependent on your COVID-19 PCR test results.

Scenario A: You are traveling with a validated negative PCR test that was obtained 72 hours prior to travel.

Upon arrival to Barbados, your results will be screened by the Ministry of Health and Wellness. If validated, you may leave the airport but must quarantine for 14 days at a designated holding hotel or approved villa at your own expense OR at a government facility free-of-charge.

You will be monitored daily for any onset of symptoms and will have the option to take a second COVID-19 PCR test within 5-7 days of your previous test results. If the test is negative, you are likely to be released to continue your stay in Barbados. If your test is positive, you will be transported to an alternative accommodation for isolation and recovery.

Scenario B: You are traveling without a PCR test result.

Upon arrival to Barbados, you will be required to take a test and remain at the airport or a government facility until the results are available.

If your test is negative, you may leave the airport but must quarantine for 14 days at a designated holding hotel or approved villa at your own expense OR at a government facility free-of-charge.

You will be monitored daily for any onset of symptoms and will have the option to take a second COVID-19 PCR test within 5-7 days of your previous test results. If the test is negative, you are likely to be released to continue your stay in Barbados. If your test is positive, you will be transported to an alternative accommodation for isolation and recovery. If your test is positive, you will be transported to an alternative accommodation for isolation and recovery.

RUSM Quarantine Procedures

Students not traveling from a high-risk country and therefore not mandated to quarantine at a government-approved facility, must self-quarantine at their RUSM housing for 14 days before accessing Coverley shared facilities such as the gym, study spaces and offices.

To appropriately self-quarantine, please following these instructions:

• Stay at home (i.e. don’t go to work, school or public places).

• Self-monitor for any indication of COVID-19 symptoms, including fever of any grade, cough or difficulty breathing. If symptoms develop, follow instructions given by Barbados Government upon entry.

• Clean and disinfect your home, particularly frequently touched surfaces and toilettes.

• Keep in touch with family and friends via telephone, email or social media. 

• Keep yourself informed on COVID-19 from trusted sources. Feel free to reach out to Student Affairs or RUSM Housing with any questions.

• Keep physically active to ensure good physical and mental condition. Unless you are instructed otherwise by the Ministry of Health and Wellness upon arrival, you may leave your room for 30 minutes a day for exercise and fresh air but should limit your movement to around RUSM Housing.  

• Wear a facemask in public to protect yourself and those around you. Please also wear a mask in your home if you are expecting/interacting with RUSM security, maintenance staff, or housing staff.

Students arriving for a short-term stay to pack their belongings and leave are expected to minimize contact with others and will not be permitted into shared Coverley facilities.

At this time, Coverley Village stores and the gym are open; however, RUSM students are asked not to visit public spaces until completing a 14-day self quarantine. This also applies to RUSM facilities within Coverley, including offices and study spaces.

Please start making arrangements to vacate RUSM housing. Unless special permission is granted, unenrolled students must be out of housing by August 21, 2020.

Before returning to RUSM housing, students must first email [email protected] for approval. Please include your anticipated dates of travel, any flight itineraries, and the purpose of your travel (e.g., to pack or to stay in housing for the Fall 2020 semester).

RUSM Housing will review your email within 48 hours of submission and will inform you if your request has been approved. We ask for at least 14 days’ advance notice before your anticipated arrival to Barbados.

If your request is approved, you will receive an Outlook calendar appointment confirming the date(s) and time(s) when you can enter your RUSM housing to pack up your belongings. You will be asked to provide your travel itinerary (arrival and departure information if known). Please also indicate if you need keys to access your home.

Students will not be permitted into their previously assigned RUSM housing unit without a confirmed appointment. If you arrive without approvals, you must find off-campus accommodations until approval is received.

Students can stay up to two (2) nights while packing. After two (2) nights, you will be asked to check out of housing via the express checkout form and turn in your assigned keys. Students needing to stay longer to clear their home and/or fly home may seek special permission from RUSM Housing. If approved, students will be charged $50/night during the approved timeframe to cover utility expenses.  

Please note, you will not have access to internet while you pack. 

No, we are not allowing companions or pets onto RUSM housing while you pack.

RUSM has revamped our check-out procedure to eliminate the need for contact with others. After packing up and removing your belongings, you will complete an Express Checkout Form and lock your keys inside your bedroom and visible on your desk chair. We ask that you email [email protected] to confirm that you have left your home and that checkout is complete.

Email [email protected] (preferably by September 7, 2020) to request approval to return. Your email should include your anticipated dates of travel and any flight itineraries. RUSM Housing will review your email within 48 hours of submission and will inform you if your request has been approved.

RUSM will only be allowing a maximum number of students back into university housing to ensure proper social distancing is followed. Units which previously housed multiple students are now regulated to one student (or one student family). We are also conducting thorough cleanings of each unit prior to move-in.

Students not traveling from a high-risk country and therefore not mandated to quarantine at a government-approved facility, must self-quarantine at their RUSM housing for 14 days. During that quarantine period, students cannot access maintenance or other at-home services, nor can they use shared spaces in Coverley, including the gym, offices, and study rooms.

We have also revamped our check-in and check-out procedures to minimize contact with other students and staff. Keys will be left at a secure location so students can pick them up without needing to interact with RUSM Housing staff.

Through these procedures, we are lowering the risk of potential COVID-19 spread to members of our RUSM community.  

Your housing assignment will likely change due to our new COVID-19 safety procedures. As noted above, only one student is allowed in each unit. At this time, we are not allowing students to live with roommates. The only exceptions are as follows:

• Students traveling with a family can live with those family members so long as they previously lived in the same household and traveled to Barbados together; OR

• Students who remained in Barbados and lived with a roommate(s) for the Summer 2020 semester can continue to live with their roommate(s) for the Fall 2020 semester.

RUSM will review and approve requests in the order in which they are received. If a request is received for the same home during the same time period, RUSM will work with that student to find a different available home to live.

Normal housing charges will be reinstated for students who wish to stay in RUSM housing for the Fall 2020 semester.

Yes. Initially, units will be held to single occupancy but we are preparing for an eventual return to full unit capacity once we determine it is safe for students from different households to live together. Unless you are paying for a family home, you should prepare for the possibility of a future roommate(s). 

Yes and RUSM Housing is happy to assist students in coordinating such efforts. The companies below have been previous used by students and can provide an estimate based on the size/quantity of your belongings and shipping destination. Once you hire a company, we can coordinate a date/time for them to enter your housing unit.

Corlec Forwarding Inc.

White park road, St. Michael, Barbados, W.I

Tel: (246) 228-1494

Fax: (246) 228-1495

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://www.corlecforwarding.com/

MARINE Trading Ltd.

P.O. Box 425, Black Rock, St. Michael, Bridgetown, Barbados

Tel: (246) 538-1292

Fax: (246) 538-1293

Email: [email protected]

Website: http://www.marinetradingbb.com

LAPARKAN (BARBADOS) LIMITED

Global Freight & Logistics Solutions Alamac

Trading Complex Fontabelle, St Michael, Barbados

Tel: 246.435-5422/ 246. 426-7447

Fax: 246.453-3272

Website: www.laparkan.com

To date, the average cost for shipping and packing has been between $500 - $800 USD. The cost to have items removed from your space and donated or disposed has been approximately $30 USD.

Yes, please notify RUSM Housing that you will be opting out of housing by emailing [email protected] by August 22, 2020. We also ask that you complete the StarRez application and report that you are opting out of housing.