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.
IMPORTANT REMINDERS
- As previously announced, participation in weekly COVID-19 testing is now mandatory for all students, faculty and staff coming to campus. Testing hours and locations, as well as detailed information on the testing process, can still be found on the college’s Pooled Surveillance Testing webpage. However, please note these important exceptions to the testing requirement:
- If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, or if you have been notified that you are a contact of a COVID-positive individual, you should stay home. Do not come to campus to be tested. If you are symptomatic or have been exposed and would like to be tested, please use an independent testing site. Do not come to campus until you are cleared to return by the college’s Health Services office.
- If you have tested positive for COVID-19 within the past 90 days, do not participate in the college’s pooled testing until the 90 days have passed. Instead, please provide proof of your positive test result to the college’s Health Services office. If your 14-day quarantine has been completed and you have been cleared by Health Services, you may return to campus.
- Daily health screening is still required for all individuals coming to campus. However, it is important to have an accurate count of students, faculty and staff on campus, so please only complete the screening process when coming 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- It remains critically important that you 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.
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:
- 1677 students, faculty and staff on campus participated in pooled surveillance testing.
- None of those individuals tested positive to date.
- 1 individual 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.
Sincerely,
Claudine Potvin-Giordano
Director, College Health Services
(518) 629-7468
healthservice@hvcc.edu
Published: Mon, 15 Mar 2021 11:45:46 +0000 by c.potvingiordano