Coronavirus Impact: SUNY Oneonta Sends Students Home For Rest Of Fall Semester After Cases Jump To 389
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A State University of New York college's "pause" of in-person learning has turned into a much longer delay.
SUNY Oneonta Chancellor Jim Malatras announced Thursday all students on campus will be sent home for the rest of the fall semester, following a recent coronavirus outbreak.
The pause was instituted on Aug. 30 after 105 students tested positive for COVID-19. That number has since jumped to 389, the school said.
"The college now needs to take this new action to contain the virus and prevent further community spread," Oneonta President Dr. Barbara Jean Morris said on the school's website.
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Oneonta officials said 100 of the infected students have been isolated on campus, while another 54 were suspected of infection and quarantined.
"Although this situation is unsettling, I must ask for patience and cooperation from students and families as we work to help students get home to resume remote learning as safely and quickly as possible," We will soon ask all students who have tested negative for COVID-19 to sign up for a move-out time from Friday, Sept. 4, to Monday, Sept. 7. There will also be a process for students who wish to remain on campus to request permission to do so," Morris said.
Morris said the college has a plan in place to issue full refunds for housing and pro-rated refunds for dining to every student that moves out of a dorm.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Thursday the state-wide infection rate for Wednesday was .99%, the 27th consecutive day below 1%. He said there were also seven new deaths.
"Overall, our numbers are good news, but even as our numbers remain stable, we cannot become complacent. We have to stay vigilant. We have come this far together, and we will get to the other side of this nightmare together, as long as we stay New York tough," Cuomo said.
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