Precautionary measures, CDC guidelines and student health on campus

Dear Members of the Campus Community:

We write to clarify questions we have received from students, faculty and staff about current conditions on campus.

As of this writing, there have been no confirmed cases of COVID-19 on the SUNY New Paltz campus.

Per Health Department guidelines, campus leadership will notify the campus community if we have a confirmed case of COVID-19 verified by test results.

In hopes of reducing confusion and misinformation, we draw your attention to this Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance on the difference between “self-isolation” and “self-quarantine”:

• Isolation separates sick people with a contagious disease from people who are not sick
• Quarantine separates and restricts the movement of people who were exposed to a contagious disease to see if they become sick.

According to these definitions, “self-isolation” refers to a precautionary practice taken by those who are experiencing symptoms, but have not tested positive for COVID-19, while “self-quarantine” is a mandated restriction of movement of people who have tested positive. Self-isolation is a best practice for anyone experiencing flu or cold-like symptoms and is being especially encouraged at this time.

As of this writing, there is no mandated quarantine on the SUNY New Paltz campus, because there have been no reported cases of COVID-19 on our campus.

Students who are currently living in residence halls may be choosing to separate themselves from others as a precautionary measure. These students are choosing to self-isolate, but are not in quarantine.

We continue to recommend that members of our community who are experiencing flu-like symptoms practice good public health protocols by resting, drinking lots of fluids, reducing contact with others, restricting their movement around campus, and contacting the Student Health Center or their primary care physician.

As announced on March 18, the Student Health Center is no longer open to walk-in visitors. Only those who have called first and set an appointment will be allowed to enter the building.

Students can call 845-257-3400 to set up an appointment at the Student Health Center. Phones will be on from Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–12 p.m. and 1–4:30 p.m. Saturday hours have been suspended until further notice.

When you arrive to your appointment, please call the front desk at 845-257-3400 to let us know that you are here, and a staff member will come to the door and let you inside.

We apologize for any inconvenience these new measures may create, and thank all students, faculty and staff for supporting the effort to safeguard our campus community.