We wanted to update you on the COVID-19 situation on our campuses.
As you know, testing of our student athletes last week identified 18 positive cases among students who live in Alumni Hall, and the Westchester County Department of Health then required a 14-day quarantine for all students living in that residence hall. Currently, 156 students are quarantining in their residence hall rooms. Those students were tested by the Department of Health on Thursday, and we received results yesterday. Of 139 tests, there were 11 positive cases. Nine additional Alumni Hall students who displayed symptoms this week were separately tested by University Health Care. Four tested positive. All those positive students have been moved into isolation rooms on campus as necessary. They are presenting mild symptoms and doing well. The new tests don’t total 156 because it was not necessary to re-test eight students who had earlier tested positive.
We’re deeply appreciative to all the Alumni Hall students for their cooperation, resilience, and good spirits. We know how hard this has been for them, and we’re doing our best to support them through this challenging time, with regular attention from Residential Life and Athletics staff, meal and package delivery to rooms, and nursing care available. And we send all our best wishes to the students who have tested positive.
This experience is a powerful reminder for all of us that even as New York State has brought the virus largely under control, it is still present in our community. Positivity rates are beginning to edge up in our area. We’ve seen a handful of cases on our New York City Campus, which we are managing in coordination with the New York City Department of Health. We all must remain vigilant.
Please remember to continue being safe and responsible. Wear your face coverings. Wash your hands. Observe social distance. If you socialize, do so safely and ideally outdoors. Continue to follow the regulations that protect our health by prohibiting visitors, completing the daily COVID-19 Self-Assessment on the PaceSafe app, and protecting our community. And if you test positive or develop symptoms, be sure to report that to UHC via the confidential patient portal.
Our ongoing community monitoring efforts will also continue. Each week a random sample of 25 percent of those who have been on campus—including students, faculty, and staff—is selected for testing. When we identify new positive cases, contact tracers reach out by phone to close contacts of those who have tested positive. To see the latest on-campus testing data, visit www.pace.edu/dashboard. The dashboard is updated every weekday at the close of the business day.
Thank you to everyone for your cooperation. It’s up to each of us to make sure the Pace Community stays safe and healthy. We rely on our community members to let us know about situations that are potentially unsafe and run counter to our policies and guidelines. Report an incident or share feedback at www.pace.edu/COVIDfeedback. Our community is counting on you.
