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Iona College President Seamus Carey announced on Friday, March 6, that two employees had self-quarantined, but there remain no confirmed or suspected cases of Coronavirus at this time. Carey noted that the 14-day incubation period was simply a precaution.
“These preventative steps were taken out of an abundance of precaution to protect the Iona community,” he said. “Neither employee is experiencing coronavirus symptoms and therefore neither qualifies for coronavirus testing at this time as per federal and state guidelines.”
New York Gov Andrew Cuomo said on Friday that there are 33 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 in New York, including 11 new cases.
Each of the new cases can be traced back to the 50-year-old New Rochelle attorney who was the first in the region to be hospitalized for coronavirus.
“I fully understand that the word ‘quarantine’ sounds frightening. But I want to once again emphasize that everyone here at Iona College is operating out of an abundance of precaution, in keeping with all health official guidance,” Carey said. “Given the presence of the virus in another section of New Rochelle, we are on high alert and have been working with city, county and state officials to ensure that we are operating with the most up-to-date information.”
As of Friday, there have been 100,776 confirmed coronavirus cases worldwide, leading to 3,412 deaths. There have been 237 positive tests in the United States.
Carey said that all classes, events, and activities on campus will continue as planned. He noted that since the outbreak of coronavirus, the college has taken steps to assure the safety of students and staff, including:
- Reminded everyone of preventative practices;
- Increased cleaning and disinfecting on campus;
- Removed self-service stations from dining halls;
- Added more hand sanitizer stations and distributed hand sanitizer to students;
- Asked faculty to adjust practices to limit unnecessary contact with and among students;
- Asked faculty to prepare to be able to deliver courses virtually in the event that becomes necessary;
- Canceled spring break service trips;
- Canceled international study abroad with partner institutions.
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