What once was home to overflowing chatter and buffets will now enforce a strict 6 feet between each student and serve meals in pre-packaged to-go boxes. UF Dining is preparing for Fall.
UF Gator Dining Services has created new sanitation measures for more than 40 dining locations on campus based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Florida and federal guidelines in hopes of keeping students and workers safe once campus reopens.
Students who purchased a meal plan will have a hands-off experience this Fall, said UF Business Services Spokesperson Jennifer Moyer. Rather than serve themselves buffet-style, students will be handed pre-packaged meals by Gator Dining employees.
Everything from salads to sodas will be prepared in to-go containers and handed to students upon request, Moyer said. Students can expect to touch the food boxes they’re handed and the hand sanitizing stations, but nothing else.
UF dining halls will reduce their food stations from 11 to four that consist of soup and salad, entrees, desserts and beverages, said UF Director of Food and Beverage Matt Mueller. Students can choose from daily options at each of these stations.
Additionally, no one will be allowed inside Gator Dining facilities without a mask on, Moyer added. Those who don’t bring a mask will be provided one at the entrance.
Only when students are eating or drinking can they take their mask off, Moyer said. She added that there will be only one student sitting at each table with a first-come first-served rule.
The seating capacity for UF’s dining halls will be at 50 percent, and tables will be 6 feet apart, according to Aramark spokesperson Jill Rodriguez.
Employees will wipe down these tables every 20 minutes, Moyer said, and dining halls will be shut down between meals to disinfect surfaces from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Gator Dining expects that lines of students waiting for food will extend out the door sometimes, Mueller said. These lines will be socially distanced, he added, and said hydration stations will be installed for students while they wait.
Even with safety measures in place, Kylie Lopez said that she doesn’t feel on-campus dining is safe enough for her.
The 18-year-old UF biochemistry freshman has lung damage from a childhood infection and uses an inhaler. She said she originally planned on purchasing a meal plan but decided against it due to COVID-19.
“My family was worried about me going to a dining hall and how clean it would be and if those basic safety measures would be enforced,” she said.
Instead, Lopez will grocery shop and cook for herself.
Cindy Prins, UF associate professor of epidemiology, said the Dining Services’ plan doesn't completely eliminate the risk of COVID-19 transmission.
“That 6 feet distance is really helpful if people are doing their own thing, eating, not trying to interact with other people while they’re doing that,” she said.
But if students are laughing or talking across the 6 foot distance between tables with their masks off, there is an increased risk of transmitting COVID-19 through the air, Prins said.
The retail locations on campus for national brands like Chick-fil-A and Subway are governed by the same COVID-19 rules, said Business Services Assistant Vice President Eddie Daniels. Some, like Moe’s Southwest Grill and Wing Zone, will be closed in the Fall.
Prins recommends that students eat outside and maintain a social distance regardless of whether inside seating is available.
“You’ve got some reduced risk of spread outside,” she said. “If you’re going to be in a situation where you’re not wearing your mask, I would suggest people go outside if they can.”
For students who don’t want to enter the dining halls at all, there will be an outside to-go line, Moyer said. This dining option will not have allergy-free foods though. Students with allergies will have to go inside to order their meal.
Employees will also follow new procedures behind the counter, with requirements to wash their hands every 20 minutes and change gloves in between stations and tasks, Moyer said.
To ensure employees keep up with these new regulations, every dining employee will have extended training on these new measures when they return to campus, Rodriquez wrote, and follow-up training throughout the semester.
“All managers and dining directors will be observing and coaching our team members to ensure these enhanced cleaning procedures are being adhered to on a consistent basis,” she wrote.
Employees will also have daily temperature tests and wellness checks asking about contact with infected people and symptoms. If an employee exhibits symptoms or has recent contact with an infected person they won’t be allowed to come to work.
Lianna Hubbard is a reporter for The Alligator’s Investigative Team. The UF women’s study major began as a freelance reporter three years ago. She founded her community college’s award-winning newspaper before beginning at The Independent Florida Alligator. See an issue in your community or a story at UF? Send tips to her Twitter.
