Dear Members of the Campus Community:
Two students reported to the College in the last 24 hours that they have COVID-19.
The first student is a female commuter who was last on campus on March 13. She reported that the onset of symptoms took place on April 4. She was tested on April 7 and received a positive result on April 9. She is currently at home in quarantine in Orange County.
According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance, additional notification to students, faculty or staff who may have come into contact with this student while on campus is not needed, due to the distance in time between her last time on campus (more than 14 days ago) and the onset of symptoms.
The second student is a female who resides on campus on the ground level of Minnewaska Hall. She returned to her campus residence during spring break on March 25 and remained on campus until departing on March 28. She reported spending her time on campus in her residence hall, with occasional trips to Nester's in the Student Union.
The student reported that the onset of symptoms took place on March 25, after she had returned to campus. She has not been tested, but her physician diagnosed her with COVID-19 on the basis of her symptoms and the fact that three close family members with whom she lived have tested positive. She is currently at home in the Bronx.
We are working closely with the Ulster County Department of Health and Mental Health and the Ulster County Office of Emergency Management to reach out to any students, faculty or staff who may have come in contact with this student while she was on campus from March 25-28.
Because it has been more than seven days since either of these students was on campus, we do not need to deploy any focused cleaning of buildings they occupied, per current CDC guidance.
As of this writing, we can confirm that seven employees and 15 students have tested positive for or been diagnosed with COVID-19. All have been quarantined at home or in the hospital. Some are already feeling better.
