We develop an agent-based model on a network meant to capture features unique to COVID-19 spread through a small residential college. We find that a safe reopening requires strong policy from administrators combined with cautious behavior from students. Strong policy includes weekly screening tests with quick turnaround and halving the campus population. Cautious behavior from students means wearing facemasks, socializing less, and showing up for COVID-19 testing. We also find that comprehensive testing and facemasks are the most effective single interventions, building closures can lead to infection spikes in other areas depending on student behavior, and faster return of test results significantly reduces total infections.
@article{arxiv.2008.09597,
title = {Modeling COVID-19 Spread in Small Colleges},
author = {Riti Bahl and Nicole Eikmeier and Alexandra Fraser and Matthew Junge and Felicia Keesing and Kukai Nakahata and Lily Z. Wang},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2008.09597},
year = {2021}
}