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Covid-19: New Info Released After Marist College Quarantines Largest Dorm

New information has been released after Marist College quarantined its largest dormitory after a student tested positive for COVID-19. 

Champagnat Hall

Champagnat Hall

Photo Credit: Marist College

Champagnat Hall houses about 440 students.

The student lived off-campus, according to a letter that the college sent to students, but "recently came into contact with several Marist students, including residents of Champagnat Hall, at an off-campus party." 

However, the letter said, the student had not attended classes or visited campus in-person at any point since the semester began on Monday, Aug. 24.

According to Director of Media Relations Julia Fishman, this was a separate incident unrelated to the off-campus party that failed to follow social distancing guidelines and led to the suspension of 15 students on Sunday, Aug. 23. 

After this initial incident, College President Dennis J. Murray threatened to "completely close the campus and require students to finish the semester online" if the incident was repeated in a statement issued to the college community.

All students who attended the offending party were tested before being sent home, and their reentry will depend on the outcome of an upcoming judicial hearing. 

Meanwhile, students living in Champagnat Hall, situated in the same building as the school's dining hall and called "Champ" by students, must sequester themselves to their rooms and attend their classes online until the test results of those 15 students are received by the college. 

Quarantined students must utilize GrubHub, which has partnered with the college this year to deliver food made in on-campus dining facilities directly to students' rooms as a component of their dining plans, for all of their meals. 

The college said that its contact tracing team is working to identify all students that came into contact with the infected student. 

If any test results of these or the initial 15 students return positive, the college said that it will enact a more "comprehensive testing plan."

Marist said that it could not provide a concise timeline for the quarantine efforts, but said that it is working with MidHudson Regional Hospital in an attempt to expedite the results. 

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