Vermont Business Magazine Annie Stevens, PhD, Vice Provost, at the University of Vermont sent the following message Wednesday night to the UVM Community after an additional six cases of COVID-19 were identified at UVM. This is in addition to the one case earlier this week that resulted in the quarantine of 30 students who were close contacts. UVM is also imposing stricter rules to keep the coronavirus under control, as it so far has been, and Stevens is urging students to stay vigilant and stick to the protocols.
Annie Stevens:
As of early this morning (Wednesday), we have received 6 new positive test results from a combination of undergraduate and graduate students living on and off campus. These 6 students are currently in isolation and those who have been identified as close contacts are now in quarantine. These new cases are unrelated to the one case reported yesterday and the 30 exposed students who are currently in quarantine.
This is not the time to let your guard down. In addition to UVM’s 6 positive cases, Chittenden County has seen a spike, with 134 positive cases in just the last 14 days. Keeping our community safe only works if everyone does their part. One positive case can result in multiple exposed contacts. We need to be vigilantly on guard against “Covid Fatigue” and the risk that our low positivity rate may cause some to cut corners and disregard inconvenient COVID precautions required by the Green and Gold Promise, and by local and state regulations.
As a result of these positivity trends:
- We are suspending the guest policy (that allows one floormate guest/room) within the residence halls immediately.
- If you have recently attended a party/gathering without social distancing and/or masking, we expect you to get a test in addition to your 7-day requirement. You should also self-quarantine until you receive a second negative test.
- We expect students will not travel outside of Vermont until they leave campus/Burlington for Thanksgiving Break.
- Before you leave for break, you are strongly encouraged to get tested no earlier than 48 hours before you leave and wait to receive results prior to your departure so you can reduce the risk of spreading the virus to family or friends at home.
- We continue to expect you to:
- Contact Student Health Services (802-656-3350) if you are symptomatic
- Wear your mask when you are around other people
- Keep six feet of distance between you and others
- Not gather in groups
- Get tested every 7 days
- Pay attention to who you are spending time with so that our contact tracing team can follow up if necessary
We have found that our preventative measures work if everyone is compliant. This is a challenging time in our semester and it has been a long road to get here, however, national trends—and recent trends even in Chittenden County—suggest that now more than ever we need your commitment and unwavering adherence to the Green and Gold Promise.
It only works if we all do our part. Thank you for doing yours.