Mississippi Valley State University has worked assiduously to identify and mitigate the potential for the spread of COVID-19 outbreaks on the campus. To this end, beginning with a completely virtual class schedule for the first three weeks of the 2020 Fall semester, quarantine and isolation spaces were identified and prepared for use, campus-wide COVID-19 testing was implemented and, a facilities’ sanitation and disinfection daily protocol established and implemented, among other things.
All University protocols and actions are informed by the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines. According to MSDH, an outbreak is identified if 3 or more individuals within a group are diagnosed with COVID-19 within a 14-day period. Our recent test results revealed several students and employees within identified groups were positive for the novel coronavirus. Of those receiving positive test results, only one hospitalization has occurred. That individual is now home and recovered. The remaining COVID-19 positive students and employees have reported symptoms ranging from “none” to “very mild.”
As expected, increased testing has led to an increase in the number of positive individuals within the MVSU campus community, which also impacts particular groups. The University has taken the necessary actions, as required by MSDH, CDC and University protocols, which include:
- Same day isolation or quarantine when cases are reported (In most instances; students sometimes opt for in-home isolation and quarantine).
- An on-campus dedicated housing area, which includes single rooms, with solid walls, a solid door that closes, and a private bathroom. Meals, medical assistance and laundry services are provided to students who are in quarantine or isolation.
- Suspension of identified groups’ activities.
- Academic instruction and learning have adapted as needed and shifts to online/virtual teaching and learning for impacted classes and spaces, until further notice, which takes into consideration the safety and well-being of students, faculty and staff.
All currently active cases of COVID-19 among University employees and students are in isolation, thus taking all necessary precautions to minimize the spread of the virus. Please visit our university COVID-19 webpage for additional information, which includes our statistics of positive cases identified as of today (https://www.mvsu.edu/confirmed-cases).