Potsdam Campus Community,
As we begin to welcome everyone back for the Spring semester, the required COVID-19 testing before University faculty, staff and students return to campus is identifying positive cases. We appreciate everyone doing their part to get tested and for taking other preventative measures to stop the spread of COVID-19 as we rebuild the bubble for our University community.
Per our reporting protocols and commitment to transparency, we have two positive cases to report today from individuals following the state-mandated travel advisory protocols to get tested and quarantine, but who have been on campus. We are working with them and St Lawrence County Public Health to support contact tracing within a limited cohort and the required isolation/quarantine processes.
As part of the return to campus protocols, please DO NOT return to your on campus office, lab or residential unit until your negative test result is confirmed. See the link in this paragraph for student testing information including if you have to wait for a result to come in before your planned return date. Employees should consult with their supervisor and clarksonhr@clarkson.edu if they are unsure when to return.
We also are working with individuals who have recently tested positive prior to returning to campus and who will need to delay their return until released by their medical provider/public health. Students who get a positive result from off-campus testing prior to returning should reach out to studentaffairs@clarkson.edu and employees should reach out to clarksonhr@clarkson.edu. We wish all of them good health.
Please use the daily screening tools* to remain alert about symptoms and other factors that support the stop the spread.
St. Lawrence County Public Health representatives are notified for each positive test result and will work with each individual. We also report these on our Dashboard and to NYS for its comprehensive reporting on all colleges.
- To respect the privacy of the individuals, they will remain anonymous.
- They will remain quarantined by the St. Lawrence County Public Health Department until officials have cleared them. As part of the NYS protocols in any positive test case, a representative of the St. Lawrence County Public Health Department will notify directly any community members, students, faculty, and staff who may have been exposed and will give further guidance. These contacts will remain confidential. We recognize there may be some delays in their system and our health center/professional staff will support their work.
- Public Health may ask the University for information to support their review and your assistance, if asked to help, is appreciated.
We understand that announcements like this may cause concern in our immediate community. If you have any questions about this communication, please contact clarksonhr@clarkson.edu and/or me.
Thank you for your diligence and commitment to rebuilding the bubble.
Kelly Chezum, VP for External Relations
Restart Communications Lead
kchezum@clarkson.edu
*These are the daily screening questions (See the footer of every clarkson.edu web page to complete the screening tool!) to keep using and to act up on if you answer yes to any of these.
- Do you currently have a fever (temperature of 100.4 F or greater) without having taken any fever-reducing medications?
- Have you experienced any of the following COVID-19 related symptoms in the past 14 days: cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fever, chills, muscle pain, sore throat, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or new loss of taste or smell?
- Have you tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 14 days, or have you been instructed by a health care professional/public health official/contact tracing app to self-isolate or quarantine?
- Have you knowingly been in close (within 6 feet) or proximate (same enclosed environment, such as an office, but greater than 6 feet) contact with anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19 or who has or had symptoms of COVID-19 within the past 14 days?
