COVID-19 Update: Tuesday, September 22, 2020
A message from President Reynders regarding the current operation level.
Given the increasing number of students in isolation and quarantine, I am writing to you in place of Dr. Spicer to make you aware of some changes we will be putting in place this week. Please read this information carefully.
Dashboard
The latest dashboard numbers are available here. You will see that on-campus numbers have continued to increase. Numbers are also on the rise in Woodbury County as you can see in this trends report.
Operation Level
Based on the latest data, the Senior Staff and I have made the decision to move to Operating Level ORANGE beginning TOMORROW, Wednesday, September 23, 2020. We will remain in ORANGE until further notice. Our hope is that numbers will stabilize and begin trending downward so that we can return to yellow at some point in the coming weeks.
What Does Moving to Orange Mean?
Enforcement of Occupancy Requirements in Residence Halls
As I referenced in my note to all of you last Friday, we have seen an increasing number of students who test positive for COVID-19, then produce a list of a dozen or more close contacts who then must quarantine for 14 days. About 80 percent of the time, those close contacts are resulting from larger friend gatherings in the dining room, residence halls, or at off-campus homes.
For that reason, we are increasing our enforcement of on-campus guest policies in the residence halls. This policy stipulates no more than double occupancy inside any residence hall room or apartment. Going forward, individuals who violate this policy will be considered a community threat and will face disciplinary action.
Masks in Residence Halls
Effective Wednesday, Sept. 23, masks will be required in all residence hall spaces except for student rooms and restrooms.
Quarantine & Isolation Housing
Students are strongly encouraged to have a conversation with your at-home support system to discuss whether or not it would be possible for you to return home for your comfort if it becomes necessary for you to quarantine or isolate.
Morningside does have on-campus quarantine and isolation housing available for students; however, students in quarantine may be asked to room with an individual who is quarantining for similar/same reasons and/or dates, and students may be asked to quarantine in off-campus facilities that Morningside has secured if on-campus options are at capacity.
Town Hall Meeting
As a reminder, the Town Hall meeting will take place tomorrow from 12:30-1 p.m. via WebEx. You can submit questions ahead of time to Erin Edlund. Check your email for additional meeting details.
What You Can Do
Please keep following these basic guidelines:
I sincerely hope that all members of the campus community will work together to help us reverse the trend of isolation and quarantine numbers we have been seeing. Take care of yourselves and one another so we can get back to operating in yellow soon.
Be well,
John Reynders
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