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Covid-19

COVID-19 Testing Update


Submitted on August 26, 2020

In our ongoing efforts to provide students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends of the college with critical updates regarding the college’s response to COVID-19, Georgetown College will be providing routine updates on COVID-19 testing results. While we must remain diligent in protecting individual rights due to medical privacy, we can share with you some broad information regarding our testing efforts.

The most important number to consider when understanding these results is positivity rate. If this number is high, it indicates the virus is more widespread, and if it is low it indicates it is more under control. So far in our random testing of students, faculty, and staff, there is a positivity rate of 2.10%. There are 27 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 94 students in quarantine.

After an initial bump in cases and quarantines the first week after students returned to campus, these numbers, specifically the number of students in quarantine has steadied, which indicates those on campus are wearing their masks, social distancing, and avoiding large gatherings.

GC’s contact tracing team works diligently once a positive case has been identified to help contact trace and quickly notify students of the need to quarantine. Also, Georgetown College has established a team of staff members who specifically take care of those students in quarantine, providing food and other necessities, as well as taking care of any other needs those students have.

The college’s efforts this summer to establish crucial protocols and to rethink how best to serve students during this time, which included improving classroom ventilation, erecting outdoor classrooms, and moving to a cohort model for residential life, have allowed for the successful start of in-person classes this fall.

The college recognizes that there will be positive cases this fall, and there will be a need for students to quarantine. However, faculty and staff are working thoroughly to improve health and safety on campus and working with students who are required to quarantine or isolate in order to help them stay up to date, on track in their studies, and comfortable.

Again, the college will begin providing regular updates regarding these testing efforts to provide our students, faculty, staff, alumni, friends, and community with as much information and transparency as is possible.

 


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