Today the college learned that two SUNY Oneonta students have tested positive for COVID-19. These are the first confirmed cases of COVID-19 since April, when three employees tested positive.
Both of the affected students live off campus. The Otsego County Department of Health (DOH) will work with them to determine whether to isolate at home or on campus. The college has arranged for one of its residence halls to exclusively house students who test positive for COVID-19.
The affected students will be able to resume normal activities upon approval of the DOH. The DOH also will attempt to notify others with whom they may have had contact.
Although the fall semester has just begun and the vast majority of our courses are online, if we learn that either student had spent time in a particular area of campus, then we will perform extra cleaning of that space. This is consistent with guidance from the New York State Department of Health.
While all of us had hoped to avoid this situation, we have spent the better part of the summer preparing for it. Today’s quick response to this unfortunate news is the result of our strong partnership with the DOH and the effort our campus invested in our Fall 2020 Re-start Plan.
This pandemic has been and will continue to be a challenge. But we are up to it. Thank you for taking care of yourself, taking the college’s actions for safety and supporting one another.
Sincerely,