As part of our ongoing efforts to protect the health of our community, the college’s Health Services office is continuing to provide a weekly update for students, faculty and staff to share COVID-19 testing results and reports of positive cases (on or off campus), as well as important reminders and resources to be aware of during the ongoing pandemic.
LATEST NEWS
- All students have received an important email communication from Vice President for Student Affairs Louis Coplin on SUNY’s health and safety requirements for students returning to campus for the Spring semester. Students, please check your Hudson Valley email and read the letter carefully to ensure you will be eligible to return to campus. The “What Students Should Know For Spring 2021″ page on the college website also includes important information for students returning to campus.
- As COVID-19 vaccine distribution begins in our region, many people have questions about whether they are eligible to get the vaccine and when. If you have questions, please use New York State’s COVID-19 vaccine eligibility website to help you determine if you are eligible to receive a vaccine at this time, how to schedule an appointment, where to receive the vaccine, and other important information. Because vaccine distribution is handled by the state, Hudson Valley cannot answer these questions for you.
- Hudson Valley’s SUNY-approved plan for Academic Continuity and the Health and Safety of Students, Faculty and Staff: Winter and Spring Terms 2021 is now available on the college’s COVID-19 webpage. This plan details the protocols in place to allow the college to deliver instruction in a safe environment and keep our campus community healthy this semester.
- Please be aware that SUNY has strengthened mask usage requirements on all public college campuses. All individuals must wear a mask covering their mouth and nose at all times while on campus, including when outdoors and when socially distanced.
IMPORTANT REMINDERS
- If you have traveled internationally or to a state designed as a high-risk area under New York State’s travel guidelines, be sure you are in compliance with the requirements detailed in New York State’s COVID-19 Travel Advisory before attempting to return to campus. All applicable testing and quarantine requirements outlined in this advisory must be satisfied before you will be allowed to return to campus.
- If you plan to come to campus for any reason, please take a moment to review the safety policies on the college’s COVID-19 webpage to ensure you are in compliance with all regulations first.
- As the region’s transmission and positive testing rates continue to rise, with a current positivity rate of 6.9% in the Capital Region, it is more important than ever to stay home if you are experiencing symptoms consistent with COVID-19 or if you feel sick in any way. Stay home if you have tested positive or been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 within the past two weeks.
- COVID-19 testing is available at the college for students, faculty and staff. The New York State Department of Health also maintains a COVID-19 testing location page, which provides information on independent testing sites.
CURRENT STATISTICS
SUNY’s COVID-19 tracking website provides data updated daily on COVID-19 cases and testing. During the past week, at Hudson Valley Community College:
- 156 students, faculty and staff on campus participated in pooled surveillance testing.
- 1 of those individuals tested positive to date.
- 2 individuals reported testing positive through testing administered off campus.
COLLEGE RESPONSE
Please know that all individuals who have tested positive are isolating/quarantining off-campus until cleared to return by county and college health officials. As always, enhanced cleaning and disinfection has been completed in areas occupied by individuals testing positive for COVID-19 as well as areas occupied by individuals reporting symptoms consistent with COVID-19 who later tested negative. In accordance with health privacy laws, we cannot provide any personally identifying information about these individuals. College administrators work proactively and directly with county health departments to offer guidance and support to anyone affected by the virus. If contact tracing determines that you may have been exposed to an individual with COVID-19, a county health official or the college’s Health Services staff will contact you. You do not need to take any action unless you hear from them directly.
USEFUL RESOURCES
Detailed information on Hudson Valley’s COVID-19 safety measures and protocols are available on the college’s COVID-19 webpage. You may also contact your county health department for guidance, and or the NYS Coronavirus Hotline at 1-888-364-3065 with questions or concerns.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Please continue to keep these basic safety protocols in mind when you’re on campus:
- STAY HOME IF YOU’RE SICK
- COMPLETE DAILY HEALTH SCREENING
- PARTICIPATE IN WEEKLY POOLED TESTING
- WEAR FACE MASKS
- MAINTAIN SOCIAL DISTANCE
- WASH HANDS OFTEN
- DISINFECT HIGH-TOUCH SURFACES
Thank you for your cooperation in keeping our campus community safe and healthy.
Published: Mon, 25 Jan 2021 12:45:41 +0000 by c.potvingiordano