We’d like to thank you all for your quick response and understanding this morning as we shifted to remote work and learning for the day. We are very pleased with how efficiently our contingency plans have moved forward since learning of our first known case of COVID-19. While you already know that the individual involved is asymptomatic and currently in good health, we can also share that the individual is an employee who is isolating off-campus.
We moved to remote learning and work today out of an abundance of caution and to ensure that health and safety protocols, especially connected with our contact tracing efforts, could be our primary focus on campus. At this point, all “close contacts” have been notified. Per the CDC, for an asymptomatic patient, this would be defined 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.
As you might have seen in this release that went out to media today, our plan is to be back to our normal schedule on Monday, so those who would normally be in class or at work on campus should plan for that. Because our Facilities crew will be conducting a deep cleaning of all campus areas identified through our contact tracing process over the weekend, there may be parts of campus that you won’t be able to access. For example, Wieden Hall will be closed through the weekend. Should any alteration to this schedule occur, we will notify you well in advance of Monday morning’s classes.
The work we do now in following our health and safety measures and keeping each other safe, from now until we switch to remote learning the week of Thanksgiving, is of the greatest importance. Please wear your masks, observe social distancing, wash your hands frequently, and follow all other safety guidelines. And remember, if you have questions or would like someone from campus to call you, please let us know here.
Stay safe,
Ray