Campus Enters Second Pause After Increased COVID-19 Cases

Marist students were notified on Thursday afternoon that the campus would enter its second pause of the fall semester due to a rise in COVID-19 cases. The pause went into effect at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday and is scheduled to last until the morning of Nov. 9.

“While the terms of this pause will be slightly different from our earlier pause in October, the goal is the same: to ensure the safety of the Marist community and arrest any spread of the coronavirus while our Medical and Contact Tracing teams perform their work,”  Vice President for Student Affairs Deborah DiCaprio said.

During the pause, students will be required to take all classes remotely. In addition, all on- and off-campus, in-person activities are cancelled. In-person dining is paused and meal plans are grab-and-go only through the use of the GrubHub app. 

Currently, Leo Hall and the Upper West Cedar Townhouses are under precautionary quarantine which requires residents to stay in their dorms or apartments. Outdoor individual and small group activities with appropriate health measures are allowed for students who are not under precautionary quarantine. 

“For public health reasons, students are encouraged to limit their interactions to their ‘pod’ (roommates or immediate housemates),” DiCaprio said. “Students must stay within their own room/apartment in their residence facility. Students are prohibited from visiting any other room, traditional residence hall, apartment, or townhouse.” 

Only officially approved visitors are allowed on campus during the pause and students are asked to remain on campus throughout the duration of the pause and only travel off campus if directed by Marist health professionals or staff. The James J. McCann athletic center will remain closed for recreational activity and all athletic team training sessions are canceled.

“We want to remind you that the college has a zero-tolerance policy for those who do not comply with our guidelines,” DiCaprio said. “This is to prioritize the safety of the vast majority of students who have abided by the rules this semester.”

As of Nov. 4, the Marist COVID-19 dashboard reported 33 active COVID-19 cases with 19 active cases in isolation off campus and 14 active cases in isolation on campus. The college reentered an alert level yellow earlier in the week after shutting down in person dining and putting multiple residence halls under precautionary quarantine. A yellow alert level means that the incidence of the virus remains low, but the potential for increase in transmission exists.

“Information on cases related to Marist College is always available on our dashboard, which is updated daily, generally by 5 p.m,” DiCaprio said. “If you see any Marist community member violating our COVID-19 related Code of Conduct, please call (845) 575-MASK.”

Source: Tara Guaimano