We learned this morning that a case of COVID-19 has been identified within our campus community. Contingency plans were immediately set in motion and Maine Center for Disease Control protocols are in place. The residence hall student tested positive for COVID-19 as part of UMPI’s asymptomatic testing program. We are able to report that the individual is in good health and has been moved into isolation. The student’s roommate and others who have been identified through contact tracing have been placed into quarantine.
At this point, all “close contacts” have been notified. For an asymptomatic patient, this would be defined by the CDC as any individual who was within 6 feet of an infected person for at least 15 minutes starting from 2 days before a positive test specimen collection. If you have not been contacted, it means you have not been identified as a close contact. Please note that a daily update regarding asymptomatic on-campus tests is available through the University of Maine System dashboard.
Though we were hoping to get through the last few days on campus together without a positive case, we are heartened to know that our testing and health and safety protocols are continuing to work so efficiently and as intended, and we’d like to thank our team for the very quick response regarding this case. Our work now is to support affected individuals through the two-week quarantine and isolation period, which will extend over the Thanksgiving holiday. While it is imperative that we follow CDC protocols, we understand that this is not how any one of us would want to spend their holiday, and will be working with Student Affairs to help these individuals through this time.
We will provide any needed updates as we move forward. And we appreciate the work all members of our campus community are continuing to do to keep each other safe these last few days before we move to remote learning. Please remember to wear a mask, socially distance, wash your hands, and if you are sick please stay home (see CDC guidance on coronavirus symptoms). If you have questions or would like someone from campus to call you, please let us know here.
Stay safe,
Ray