Health Update: 3/5/20
Dear West Chester University Students, Faculty, and Staff,
As COVID-19 dominates the news and our thoughts, know that West Chester University continues to be prepared for any situation that could possibly arise. As you may have seen on our website, bit.ly/WCUcoronavirusupdate, the University’s Infection Control Planning Team was activated in January soon after learning about the onset of the respiratory virus. The group continues to meet regularly to monitor the situation at home and abroad, as well as to review the implementation of its health emergency plan. Know that a comprehensive Emergency Operations Plan is at the foundation of everything that we do to plan for any possible critical incident and communicate with our internal and external WCU family. I’d like to reiterate that WCU has not had any reported or confirmed cases of COVID-19 to date.
We need to take good care of each other. Please be mindful of advised precautions that you should take while traveling domestically or internationally, as well as when you are coming to work. The following are suggested measures that all of us --- students, faculty, and staff --- should heed to help contain the spread of viruses:
- Stay at home if you are sick --- really.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze, for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue then throw the tissue in the trash. Immediately follow up with hand washing or sanitizing.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth to prevent spreading germs.
- Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
- Keep surfaces clean, especially computer keyboards and mice, light switches, TV remotes, phones, door, and cabinet handles.
We need to take good care of each other. The CDC is a critical reference and I encourage you to check www.cdc.gov frequently for updates. To receive the most up-to-date information about Chester County, please visit the Chester County Health Department website at https://www.chesco.org/4376/Coronavirus-COVID-19
Enjoy your upcoming week and stay well.
Sincerely,
Christopher Fiorentino, Ph.D.
President
West Chester University