COVID-19 Update: Alert Level at Green; Dashboard Info
September 28, 2020
Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff,
We are writing today with an update on our campus alert level and the metrics used to determine that level.
This morning, we have six active cases within our student community. This is down from 10 on Friday, September 25. As a result of this progress and the continued low prevalence of the virus in the surrounding community, we have lowered the campus alert level back to green. It is clear that our continued efforts to wear masks, to socially distance, to isolate and quarantine when required, and to maintain our regular testing schedule have helped us lower the number of positive cases. On behalf of the entire community, thank you for doing your part to keep our community healthy and safe—and together.
As we announced last week, we have decided it is prudent to continue with some of the precautions regarding dining and residence hall access. For the coming week the following practices will remain in effect:
- Dining will remain as grab-and-go; no seating is permitted inside dining facilities
- Students’ residence hall access is limited to the floor of their own residence; common areas remain closed; students must wear face coverings and maintain a minimum of 6 feet of physical distance from one another if you are in a room with someone other than your suitemate or apartment mate (s)
- Students may continue to gather outside informally to socialize and dine, but the groups may not be larger than six people, and face coverings must be worn except when eating.
In response to requests for more information about when the dashboard will be updated each week: Barring any extenuating circumstances, we will update the dashboard by 8:30 a.m. every Monday and Thursday. This schedule will allow us to report all the information from the previous week (in the Monday morning update) and mid-week test results from the current week (in the Thursday update).
The dashboard alert level is determined not by a single number, but rather by several factors together, including: number of current active cases; number of individuals in quarantine; positivity rate and hospital capacity in Hartford and Connecticut; guidance from the state; availability of PPE supplies; compliance with COVID-19 behavioral expectations; and ability to provide essential services. You can learn more about the alert levels and their corresponding operational statuses here.
Sincerely,
Joe DiChristina, Vice President for Student Success and Enrollment Management
Jason Rojas, Chief of Staff and Associate Vice President for External Relations
