Quinnipiac moves to orange alert level; all classes remote for remainder of week

November 04, 2020

Pond and clocktower seen through foliage on Mt. Carmel campus.

Dear QU community,

We have seen a continued increase in new COVID-19 cases among students. Therefore, we are elevating our campus alert level to orange and deploying the associated mitigation efforts. Since last updating our COVID dashboard on Monday, Nov. 2, there have been 55 new cases. Thirty-four are among on-campus students and 21 are off campus. There are currently 108 active cases in isolation. 

Here is what you need to know, and actions to take:

1. All on-ground graduate and undergraduate classes will be remote for the remainder of week, through Friday, Nov. 6, with the exception of classes in the Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine. We will reevaluate whether in-person classes can resume next week. Students should inform their clinical placement, school-based supervisor or internship supervisor that they will not be on site for the remainder of the week. See the end of this communication for school-specific details.

2. Only previously invited residential students should participate in today’s on-campus sample testing. We will continue with this week’s sample testing on Wednesday, Nov. 4, in Burt Kahn Court, but only residential students should participate if you received an invitation to test. A separate testing session will be held in Burt Kahn Court for off-campus students on Thursday, Nov. 5 (See No. 3 below).

Wednesday’s testing hours will be extended from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The weather will be favorable, so students will line up outside, 6 feet apart, so that the indoor check-in and testing will occur rapidly. If you have any symptoms, please do not participate in this testing at Burt Kahn. Instead, contact Student Health Services to make an appointment to be tested. 

To stagger students throughout the testing hours, please come at the following designated time slots based on your residence hall assignment:

10-11 a.m. – Irma, Crescent, Perlroth
11 a.m. to noon – Troup, Villages, Ledges, The Hill
Noon to 1 p.m. – Mountainview, University Houses, Commons
1-2 p.m. – Dana, Westview/Eastview
2-3 p.m. –  Whitney Village, Larson

3. Off-campus students will participate in sample testing on Thursday, Nov. 5. Off-campus students who were selected as part of this week’s sample testing should come on Thursday instead. Testing will be held Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Burt Kahn Court for off-campus students.

4. All students should restrict  interactions and activities until further notice. Social interactions should be restricted to your residential family unit/pod to limit further spread of the virus. All students are asked to remain inside their residence halls, apartments or suites as much as possible, and if outdoors, please limit interactions to those with your roommates. If you live in off-campus housing, please remain in your house to eliminate contagion within and outside our community.

5. Dining has been moved to takeout only. All food will be available for grab-and-go pickup only during regular hours at any of our dining locations. Students will be able to enter the dining halls following our established guidelines for social distancing, and lines must be spaced 6 feet apart. Food should be taken back to students’ rooms.

6. In-person events and gatherings have been paused. All student-organized and university-sponsored, in-person events are paused until the trend in cases has declined.

7. Faculty and staff can work from home. All faculty and staff who can fulfill their responsibilities without coming to campus should work from home for the remainder of the week. Essential staff should come to work as scheduled.

We are taking these measures in order to reverse the trend in COVID cases. We recognize that these increased restrictions are inconvenient and challenging, but we know from public health experts and the experiences of other universities that these measures work to stem the tide of infection. We will continue to take every precaution and containment measure, and we will update our campus community regularly. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

David R. Hill, MD
Senior Medical Adviser, COVID-19 Task Force
Professor of Medical Sciences

Exceptions to the school practices for this week are detailed below:

School of Health Sciences
Students in out-of-state clinical placements continue as normally scheduled; Master of Social Work, Cardiovascular Perfusion, Pathologists’ Assistant and Radiologist Assistant clinical placements continue as normally scheduled.

School of Law
On-ground clinics, externships and trial practice courses are permitted, but not required to continue to meet on ground. All other law classes will meet exclusively online this week.

School of Nursing
Nurse Anesthesia and Nurse Practitioner placements continue as normally scheduled.

Netter School of Medicine
Courses and clinical placements continue as normally scheduled.

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