UPDATED: SUNY New Paltz student tests positive for COVID-19

Scudder Hall front entrance
Front entrance of Scudder Hall on the SUNY New Paltz campus

Dear Members of the Campus Community:

A SUNY New Paltz student notified the Student Health Center today that he has tested positive for COVID-19.

The individual is a male residential student and is currently in quarantine at home in Suffolk County, New York.

The student was last on campus on March 13, and reported that the onset of symptoms also occurred on March 13. 

The student was tested on March 18, and the test produced a positive result today, March 24.

We are moving the four current residents out of Scudder Hall, the student’s residence hall, and making arrangements to have the building cleaned by a third-party contractor.

We are working closely with the Ulster County Department of Health and the Ulster County Office of Emergency Management to reach out to any students, faculty or staff members who may have come in contact with this individual, and instructing them to immediately self-isolate as per Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines.

We are activating all necessary protocols and will provide timely updates to all members of the campus community. We remind members of our community that the CDC has advised that there is “No Identifiable Risk” to an individual who walks or briefly shares a room with a COVID-19-positive individual. That guidance can be found in Table 1 of the CDC’s interim guidance for risk assessment related to perceived levels of exposure.

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.

Campus leadership is continuing to monitor developments related to COVID-19 with guidance from the CDC and our local and state health departments, as well as SUNY System Administration and the Governor’s Office.

Please continue to monitor campus e-mail for updates. Campus community members can view updates at the Coronavirus Information and Coronavirus FAQs webpages, which are being updated regularly as this situation evolves. Sincerely, 
Donald P. Christian, President

UPDATE: 3/24/2020 8:54 pm

Dear Members of the Campus Community:

We write with follow-up information regarding the student who tested positive for COVID-19 today. The student attended classes in Lecture Center, Humanities and Smiley Arts Building. We are securing those buildings and scheduling deep cleaning.

Scott Schulte
Director, Office of Emergency Management

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