Campus Pause Extended a Second Time

The college notified students on Tuesday evening that the campus wide pause originally enacted on Thursday, Nov. 5, will be extended through Friday, Nov. 13. The college currently has 86 active cases of COVID-19 and plans to continue testing the student population before the pause is lifted.  

“This will allow our medical team to continue our comprehensive testing plan for the community, which has tested more than 2,000 students since last Friday,” the Executive Vice President’s Office said. 

During the continued pause, students will be required to take all classes remotely. In addition, all on- and off-campus, in-person activities are cancelled. In-person dining is paused and meal plans are grab-and-go only through the use of the GrubHub app. 

The college reminded students that they are providing surveillance testing prior to Thanksgiving break as an additional safety measure. All students have or will be called to get tested at least one additional time in the last three weeks of in person instruction on campus. However, the college cannot guarantee that students’ tests will occur close to their travel plans so they encourage students to get tested at off-campus sites before leaving campus if they feel it is necessary. 

The increased testing stems from a combination of the recent spike in cases and the pre-Thanksgiving testing. Marist is aware that students have been and will continue to leave campus before Nov. 24. If students know they will be leaving to go home for the rest of the semester, they must notify the Office of Housing and Residential Life at housing@marist.edu.

“Since we are seeing infections all over campus, as well as off campus it is hard to pinpoint sources of infection. When we had the outbreak in early October it was mainly off campus so a little easier to test specific locations. We also felt this volume of testing would be helpful if some students chose to leave early, and want a negative test before they leave,” Vice President of Academic Affairs Deborah DiCaprio said. 

Only officially approved visitors are allowed on campus during the pause, and students have been asked to remain on campus throughout the duration of the pause and only travel off campus if directed by Marist health professionals or staff. The James J. McCann athletic center will remain closed for recreational activity and all athletic team training sessions are canceled. 

“For public health reasons, students are encouraged to limit their interactions to their ‘pod’ (roommates or immediate housemates),”  Executive Vice President’s Office said. “Students must stay within their own room/apartment in their residence facility. Students are prohibited from visiting any other room, traditional residence hall, apartment, or townhouse.” 

As of Nov. 10, the Marist COVID-19 dashboard reported 86 active cases of COVID-19 with 60 active cases in isolation off campus and 26 active cases in isolation on campus. The college remains in an alert level yellow meaning the incidence of the virus remains low, but the potential for increase in transmission exists.

“Information on cases related to Marist College is always available on our dashboard, which is updated daily, generally by 5 p.m,” DiCaprio said. “If you see any Marist community member violating our COVID-19 related Code of Conduct, please call (845) 575-MASK.”

The college currently has 86 active cases of COVID-19 and plans to continue testing the student population before the pause is lifted. Source: Makena Gera