So You Want to Talk About COVID-19?
A how-to guide on talking to your roommates about global pandemics
By Ellie Roth
Having hard conversations with your roommates is stressful as is. Even in normal, not the middle of a global health crisis, times (wait… that used to be a thing?). But adding a pandemic to the melting pot of roommate troubles is quite similar to throwing gasoline on a fire. From the collective experiences of my friends and I, I’m going to share some tips to help if you’re struggling with talking to your roommates about handling the pandemic. Everyone has different ways of handling this situation, and it’s important to understand that although you may share a bathroom, you may not share the same mindset about what measures you need to take to protect yourself against the coronavirus. .
If your roommate is worried about COVID-19:
Above all, you have to be respectful. We are in the middle of a pandemic here, and it’s pretty scary, no matter how invincible you may think you are. Your roommate who is trying to talk to you may have an extra problem with COVID-19 that you don’t have—maybe they have a pre-existing health condition and catching the virus would affect them a lot more than you. Maybe they have a relative at home that is in the at-risk category, and with holiday break around the corner, they are terrified of bringing it back home and being responsible for their loved one falling ill. You have to put yourself in their shoes—does COVID-19 spike their anxiety? What may make your roommate more worried about COVID-19 than you or your friends?
Try to make compromises. Even if it’s the right thing to do, you probably won’t stay in every weekend. If you want to have people over at your place, kindly ask your roommate in advance if it would be okay. It’s possible that they have a friend/significant other who they can stay with. Then, make a plan to wipe down any surfaces and sanitize before your roommate returns. Make sure they feel safe when they get home.
If your roommate doesn’t have another place to go, you may decide to go to other friend’s apartments/houses. Be conscious and communicative with your friends about feeling sick. It might be uncomfortable at first, but doing this extra thing may save your roommate some stress. Wear your mask as much as you can, and carry a pocket hand sanitizer with you when you go out. Sadly, we can’t be the carefree type of college students we used to be. We need to have a responsibility in the health and wellbeing of ourselves and the people we live with.
If you’re worried about COVID-19 and you don’t know how to talk to your roommate…
It can be difficult to breach this topic with your roommates. Especially if you may be asking them to stop doing certain things. The best thing you can do when having a discussion is to be honest. Tell your roommates exactly why you’re worried about COVID-19. It may be hard at first, but they will be much more understanding if you tell them the reason why you’re feeling this way.
Keep in mind, however, that it may be hard to completely stop your roommates from going out or hanging out with friends. If you decide to move back to campus, you assume a slightly greater risk of catching COVID-19 than if you decided to stay home. That doesn’t mean you should go out and be reckless, but understand that your roommates may still go out. It will most likely be hard to stop them completely from spending time with friends, so once again, the best thing to do is to make compromises. Talk to your roommates about what types of COVID-19 safety measures they are willing to take. Can they sanitize surfaces or immediately wash utensils and glasses after friends come over? Are they willing to participate in more socially distant activities? Find what works best for your roommates, and be open to making compromises. Ultimately, it will make the living situation more pleasant for everyone.