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- Title:
- Oct. 19, 2020 | Retest of Students Shows Continued Reduction in COVID-19, All Classes Return to Original Modalities
- Date:
- 2020-10-19
- Category:
- Presidential Memos
- Harvested from:
- https://perma.cc/H79Z-9K2U
- Type:
- text
- Digital Format:
- text/html
- Reference Link:
- https://www.lib.uidaho.edu/digital/fridayletter/letters/president_memo_2020-10-19.html
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Oct. 19, 2020 | Retest of Students Shows Continued Reduction in COVID-19, All Classes Return to Original Modalities
TO: University of Idaho Students, Faculty and Staff
FROM: Scott Green, President
Torrey Lawrence, Interim Provost and Executive Vice President
DATE: Oct. 19, 2020
SUBJECT: Retest of Students Shows Continued Reduction in COVID-19, All Classes Return to Original Modalities
While we continue to see cases of COVID-19 climb in other areas of the region, we are pleased that our retest of all students and limited surveillance testing of faculty and staff show a decrease in our community.
We completed 2,757 tests this past week. Within that, we saw a 1.56% positivity rate. The two-week retest of students captured 5,256 students with a positivity rate of 2.2%. Since the university started testing in early August, we have a cumulative positivity rate of 2.5%. We currently have 11 students in isolation and only one Greek chapter in quarantine. What we are doing is working. What you are doing is working. We need to continue following the Healthy Vandal Pledge to ensure we maintain low positivity levels until Thanksgiving Break.
All students taking in-person classes on the Moscow campus should have retested. If you have not, contact covid19questions@uidaho.edu to set up a testing time. You will not be allowed in classrooms without retesting. If you have arranged to finish the semester online, you need to clear your testing status by emailing covid19questions@uidaho.edu. Failure to do so may result in a hold on your student account and your ability to register for the spring semester. A reminder if you tested after Sept. 28, have previously tested positive or were already taking all classes online/remote with the approval of your instructors, you do not have to retest.
All instruction should return to its original modalities this week. Instructors should work with students to help navigate continued in-class participation. Students who can attend class in person are encouraged to do so. Ineligible lists will be refreshed daily with names of those who did not test as required or tested positive. As before, the lists do not include the names of students in quarantine. Staff should continue to work with supervisors to ensure safety measures are followed in offices.
Due to a positive case, the ISUB Food Court is closed today for disinfection out of an abundance of caution. Einstein’s, The Grid, Papa John’s, Joe’s Cheesy Grill and The HUB are all open and prepared to handle additional traffic. The Food Court is expected to reopen on Tuesday.
We are finalizing plans for spring, including the spring calendar, testing plans upon return in January and Spring Break. These will be communicated soon. In the meantime, please continue to keep your university and the safety of your fellow Vandals as a priority. Your diligence is what has gotten us this far, and for that we are grateful. We have five weeks until Thanksgiving Break.
Keep Calm and Vandal On.
Scott Green
President
president@uidaho.edu
uidaho.edu/president
Torrey Lawrence
Interim Provost and Executive Vice President
provost@uidaho.edu
uidaho.edu/provost