COVID-19 Update: Alert Level Changed to Yellow
November 13, 2020
Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff,
With newly received results from COVID-19 testing of students, we write today with an update on presence of the virus in our community.
As we reported on Wednesday evening, the increase in active cases from late last week and this week led to the quarantining of a significant number of students. Those students have now been tested for the virus at least once (most of them twice). Results received from tests conducted through Thursday morning have increased our active case count to 18 (14 students and 4 employee/affiliates), up from 12 on Wednesday evening. Eleven of those individuals are isolating on campus, and seven are at home. As a result of our contact tracing protocols, most of the new cases we have seen over the last two days were among students who were already in quarantine.
Nevertheless, in response to the increase in active cases, we are changing the campus alert level to yellow. With this change:
- Any in-person learning and examinations scheduled for the week of November 16-20 will proceed as planned.
- All athletic and organized student activities will be cancelled. The Hazelton fitness center will remain open for scheduled use of the cardio equipment.
- The library will remain open. We have received reports that compliance with mask wearing has not been what is expected. It is essential that face coverings are worn at all times and that you follow the health and safety guidelines posted in the building. If you do not follow these practices, you will be asked to leave the building.
- Outdoor gatherings should not be larger than six people; and for indoor gatherings in residence hall common rooms and student rooms, groups should not be larger than allowed by the requirements for proper physical distancing.
As we prepare to end in-person learning on November 20 and students get ready to leave campus, the Connecticut Department of Public Health has offered the following guidelines for students:
- Most importantly: Get tested for COVID-19 prior to going home. Our testing center is open November 16 through November 20, so you can be tested and receive your result as you prepare to leave campus.
- Students are recommended to quarantine away from family members for 14 days. There are different ways to meet this guideline: You could have started to quarantine at Trinity for the entire 14 days prior to leaving campus, you could quarantine at home for the 14 days, or you could quarantine for some portion of days each at Trinity and at home. The aim is that you do all you can to keep your family healthy as you reunite with them, being attentive to their medical conditions and risk levels.
- Students should not attend any large social gatherings, which pose a high risk for spreading COVID-19.
- Always wear a mask and do not take public transportation if you have any COVID-19 symptoms, if you are infected with COVID-19, or if you are in a mandatory quarantine period due to close contact with a known case.
We are in the home stretch for the fall semester, and this is a critical time. Please remain vigilant in our efforts to contain the virus. We appreciate and commend you for all you’ve done to help us get to this point in the semester. We have updated the COVID-19 dashboard again with today’s data and the new alert level and will continue to update you with new information as appropriate.
Sincerely,
Joe DiChristina, Vice President for Student Success and Enrollment Management
Jason Rojas, Chief of Staff and Associate Vice President for External Relations
