Important updates
I’ve been in meetings a lot today so this is coming out late, thanks for your patience.
There has been an uptick in positive cases on our dashboard. Right now we are in a full-court press to understand patterns of infection and what this means for our campus. If we stay on this path of increasing infection rates, we will have to consider significant restrictions to our operations to help move the numbers back in the right direction. I expect more details to come in the next day or two.
For now, we are asking everyone to recommit to our public health measures. The good news here is we know what works and what served us well in the fall: wearing masks (pretty much all the time), limiting contact with others as much as you can (and if you can’t, always keeping 6’ distance between you and the next person), handwashing/covering coughs and sneezes, and honestly reporting your status in SneezSafe every day. Avoiding parties, even with the Super Bowl coming up, is key, of course.
Our collective good health rests on everyone making the right choices every day, day after day. By focusing on these few critical steps that we know work, we can make a big impact.
I have also been asked to clarify a few points where people have had questions:
Quarantine or Isolation students leaving campus/Winston-Salem – Students who get a positive test result (whether from on-campus asymptomatic testing or they got a test on their own), OR if they were told they were a close contact and need to quarantine, they cannot leave campus/Winston-Salem until they have been cleared to do so in writing via the Declination of University Housing process. In order to help prevent COVID spread, contact tracers and case investigators have to make sure students have a safe destination and that their travel plans are not putting others at risk. This applies to undergraduate students, whether they live on or off campus. Please urge them to be patient and not leave until they have talked to a University official (a contact tracer, case investigator, etc.). This is critical for everyone’s health.
Timing of going to the hotel – some students are getting their positive COVID test result and are told they need to go to the hotel before they have had a chance to go through contact tracing. This is OK. When you are positive, the most important first step is to get you away from others in a timely manner. They can do the contact tracing part after a student is at the hotel.
On campus asymptomatic testing for students who feel sick/are awaiting an off-campus test result – if a student was scheduled for on campus asymptomatic testing and they feel sick/have symptoms OR they have gotten a COVID test off campus (CVS, Walgreens, etc.) they should NOT come to their testing appointment. Anyone who is symptomatic or has been tested should not come out because it could expose others. There is a reschedule test form they can complete.
We are keeping the Call Center open until 5 pm Eastern through Friday (336-758-7500); messages left after hours will be returned the next day. We kindly ask that calls to the Student Health Service come from students who have specific medical questions about illness or symptoms; any other questions, including general questions about quarantine or isolation, should be directed to the Call Center first.
Stay safe and well, Deac families. We are grateful for your partnership: for thanking your students for doing the right things public health-wise, and for reminding your Deacs of the importance of the policies meant to help safeguard our community.