- Ithaca College continues to monitor latest developments and potential impacts to our campus community.
- Ithaca College will not be making any changes to its current public health protocols and policies at this time.
- IC community members strongly encouraged to exercise heightened caution and care during this time of elevated risk for our greater Ithaca community.
- Good public health practices and responsible actions are pivotal to efforts to maintain Green: Lower Risk operating status and protecting the collective health of our IC community during this time of elevated risk for our greater Ithaca community.
Dear Ithaca College Community,
I share this message with you today to bring awareness to some recent developments regarding public health in our greater Ithaca community. On Wednesday, April 27, the Tompkins County Health Department (TCHD) issued the following press release announcing a newly implemented health advisory for Tompkins County due to an increase in COVID-19 positivity rate and hospitalizations that now categorizes the county as a “high transmission area” as defined by the CDC. I encourage our campus community to read this announcement.
In light of this advisory, I would like to take a moment to share some important reminders and clarifications regarding public health recommendations for our Ithaca College community. Ithaca College continues to strictly monitor incidence of COVID-19 within our college community and provides this information in real-time on our COVID-19 Dashboard. Let me preface the following message by stating that, at this time, our numbers continue to remain at a level that allows us to maintain our Green: Lower Risk operating status, and our current public health policies and protocols therefore remain unchanged. However, in order to maintain this status and help protect vulnerable members of our IC community, I ask that we all exercise heightened caution and care during this time of elevated risk for our greater Ithaca community.
Face Coverings
At this time, Ithaca College IS NOT reimplementing a mandatory face covering policy for indoor settings. However, it is strongly recommended that individuals choose to utilize face coverings, particularly in any indoor settings or situations where physical distancing cannot be maintained. Proper use of tightly fitted face coverings, fully covering both the nose and mouth, continue to be one of our most effective tools in limiting spread of COVID-19.
Monitor Yourself for Potential Symptoms of Illness
At this time, Ithaca College IS NOT reimplementing use of the Daily Health Screening. However, it is strongly encouraged that all members of our campus community pay special attention to any symptoms of illness you may be experiencing. If you are experiencing any symptoms of illness, it is imperative that you limit contact with others, seek out immediate testing, and continue to limit contact until results are received and symptoms resolve.
Testing
Students who are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 should continue to utilize Ithaca College’s on-campus symptomatic testing site at the Emerson Residence Hall. This site is open daily between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. and provides rapid COVID-19 testing results in 15 minutes. Other members of our campus community are strongly encouraged to utilize community testing resources including: local licensed pharmacies, urgent care facilities, at-home tests, and the Cayuga Health System sampling site at The Shops at Ithaca Mall.
Good Hand Hygiene
Please continue to regularly practice fundamental hand hygiene. This includes washing hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds or utilizing alcohol-based hand sanitizing products immediately following contact with frequently touched objects and surfaces.
Responsible Actions and Behaviors
As we enter the end-of-semester celebration season it is extremely important to behave responsibly in the weeks to come. It is strongly recommended that you conduct yourself with elevated caution and care by limiting participation in large unstructured gatherings where physical distancing cannot be maintained. If you do plan to participate in end-of-semester celebrations, please make public health a priority by choosing to utilize a face covering, sanitize hands regularly, and maintain appropriate distance from others when possible. If you are feeling any symptoms of illness, make the responsible choice to not attend an event in order to limit potential exposure to others.
The college will immediately communicate any potential future updates to the college's active public health protocols and policies, should they become necessary.
Thank you for your continued commitment to the collective health of our IC community during the final weeks of 2021-22 academic year.
Sincerely,
Samm Swarts
Assistant Director, Emergency Preparedness and Response
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