Dear Santa Clara University Community,
As promised, we write to you today with an update on the recent spike in positivity on our campus from this week’s testing. Our most-recent campus testing reports show that we have an average positivity rate of 5.3% over the past four days of testing, down from 6.6% earlier in the week but still of concern.
We realize the need to support our students’ physical and mental well-being, and create opportunities for our new residents to access outside exercise and recreation. With that in mind, outdoor activities with face coverings and social distancing can resume immediately, including outdoor recreational facilities and residence-life small-group activities held outdoors (following health guidelines).
In-person indoor instruction and certain other indoor activities (including study spaces in Benson and the Learning Commons) will remain paused until Wednesday, April 14.
We appreciate everyone’s efforts to help us reduce community transmission and slow the spread of COVID-19 on campus. Although the numbers are trending in the right direction, additional testing is needed today and through early next week to make sure we stem further outbreaks. We will be issuing another health update next Wednesday, April 14.
Dining services in the Benson Memorial Center will remain open for grab-and-go food pick up (more details on the status of these and other services and facilities will follow later today in the weekly Student Life update from Vice Provost Jeanne Rosenberger).
We want to emphasize the importance of frequent on-campus COVID-19 testing, which was critically important to our ability to quickly identify the uptick in positivity trends, and initiate some preventive steps. Thank you to all for abiding by critical safety measures such as social distancing, frequent testing, and mask wearing, which are vital as we continue our phased re-opening of campus. We are also heartened to see the growing number of community members, including students, who are being vaccinated as they become eligible.
As we approach the weekend, we implore off-campus students to be mindful of behaviors and gatherings that further contribute to the spread of the virus in our community. Note that a separate communication will be going out to all on-campus residents later today.
We need everyone’s help to curb the spread of COVID-19 and ensure that we can have a safe spring term. Thank you for doing your part to keep our community healthy and safe.
With gratitude,
Kate Morris
Acting Co-Provost
Ed Ryan
Acting Co-Provost
David Hess
Tracking and Tracing Team Lead, COVID-19 Operations Team
Katherine Saxton
COVID-19 Health Ambassador, COVID-19 Operations Team
Craig Stephens
Testing Team Lead, COVID-19 Operations Team