Dear ESF Community,

Governor Andrew Cuomo designated parts of Onondaga County, including the City of Syracuse, an “orange zone” today. This will not impact operations at SUNY ESF. The college remains open. Classes and exams should continue as planned.

While this designation indicates schools must switch to remote learning, I have confirmed that colleges are exempt from this mandate. The College must follow the directives offered regarding gatherings and testing.

Per the College Commitment, non-academic groups should be limited to 5 or fewer people. In addition, as was shared last week, testing will continue through the Winter break as follows:

Starting the week of November 30, employees who are still required to report to campus for work will be tested as follows:
  • Week of November 30 - Those with last names that begin with A through M are required to test
  • Week of December 7 - Those with last names that begin with N through Z are required to test
 
We will continue with this alternating method – which means we’re testing approximately 50% of those on campus – until further notice. Employees working on campus (for any length of time) must complete the Daily COVID Screening Questionnaire so the College is fully compliant and can effectively conduct contact tracing should the need arise.
 
Information for testing during the Spring 2020 semester, including required testing to return to campus in January 2021, will be communicated in January.
 
Sincerely,
John Wasiel
Environmental Health and Safety Officer