What to Pack in a Covid Go Bag if Your College Kid Needs to Quarantine

As college students return to campus for the spring semester, they will need a “Covid Go Bag” in case they are asked to isolate or go into quarantine. Here are essentials (and a few extras) that can be packed in a small bag, ready to grab in case your teen might need it.

We’ve also added a few additional things to consider for their dorm room as you will want your teen to try to keep as clean and healthy a living space as possible.

College students should have a covid go bag in case they are asked to isolate or go into quarantine. (Twenty20 @aschmidt0073)

Note: We are a reader-supported site and receive compensation from purchases made through some of the links in this post.

College covid go bag check list

Documents

  • List of names and contact info for each
  • Any allergies or important medical or health information

Clothes (2 sets of each)

Food and Drink

Medical and Hygiene

  • Several paper face masks in a ziplock
  • Toothbrush and toothpaste
  • Comb or brush
  • Chapstick or lip balm
  • Body lotion
  • Small shampoo and conditioner
  • Deodorant
  • Feminine hygiene supplies
  • Tissues
  • Digital thermometer
  • Acetaminophen and/or Ibuprofen
  • Cough drops
  • Extra prescription medicines
  • Hand disinfectant that contains at least 60% alcohol
  • Mucinex DM or Robitussin Cough and Chest Congestion

Other Essentials

  • Hand soap — put a pump in a ziplock so it doesn’t spill
  • Towel
  • Extra phone charger
  • Fleece blanket — the smallest one that might fit into a large ziplock

Extras for the covid go bag or dorm room

  • Phonesoap can sanitize cell phones using a UV light — watch the video on the site to learn more.
  • Pulse Oximeter measures oxygen saturation and can help in determining if need to go to the hospital or just quarantine until they are well.
  • Kindle thin, light and great for reading and what else will they be doing in quarantine?

Things that can help keep a dorm room clean

An air purifier can rid a dorm room of pollen and other allergens and odors, all of which can help make your teen’s living space cleaner and healthier. The Conway air purifier with a true HEPA filter has been on the top of the New York Times Wirecutter recommended list since 2015 after testing 35 models. A smaller and less expensive option is the Levoit air purifier which is also highly recommended and might be better for a dorm.

Levoit air purifier

Lysol or Clorox wipes are more available now and not a moment too soon! An anti-viral and anti-bacterial wipe is the easiest way for college students to clean so buy them enough to last for the whole semester.

Mattress and pillow encasements that act as a barrier between your teen and dust mites and other allergens are well worth the financial outlay, especially since dorm rooms get ridiculously dirty. AllerEase is our favorite brand for this bedding product and note that the mattress encasement also protects against bed bugs, too. (yuck)

Box of nitrile gloves for dirty jobs or cleaning.

A drawstring bag featuring your student’s new college town is a lightweight and inexpensive option for a Covid go-bag. Fanatics has official licenses for 500 colleges and has loads of bags like this one.

About Mary Dell Harrington

Mary Dell is the co-founder of Grown and Flown, the #1 site for parents of teens, college students and young adults, reaching millions of parents every month. She started the Grown and Flown Parents Facebook Group and is co-author of Grown and Flown: How to Support Your Teen, Stay Close as a Family, and Raise Independent Adults (Flatiron Books) now in paperback.

Read more posts by Mary Dell

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