Wells Extends Campus "Pause" by Additional Week
Wells College President Jonathan Gibralter notified the campus community on Nov. 6, that the College will extend its "pause" by one additional week, now through Sunday, Nov. 15.
"Overnight we received more testing results and have learned of four additional positive COVID-19 cases on campus, in addition to the two cases we have previously reported," wrote President Gibralter in his message to students, faculty and staff. "As of this writing, there are now six individuals in isolation. Contact tracing efforts have been underway since last night, and we have identified 12 other individuals who are in the process of being moved to precautionary quarantine."
Students are still being allowed outside, provided they are wearing masks at all times and following other precautionary measures. They are also able to pick up meals to go at the dining hall, but are being advised to remain in their rooms at all other times.
Athletic facilities, Long Library and the Well will remain closed throughout the duration of the campus pause. The dining hall remains open its normal hours (for takeout meals only).
The College continues to use its fall 2020 reopening and operating plan as a guide in making these decisions. Wells is currently in the "Isolation: Micro Response" phase, which calls for a limitation of activities but not a full shutdown. In other words, the College is not fully closing campus as occurred last spring, but is trying to reduce campus density to the greatest extent possible.
Wells College is also supporting the decision of any student who wishes to return home for Thanksgiving early, since the College will be fully transitioning to remote instruction following the Thanksgiving holiday. Classes are scheduled to end on Dec. 11, with final exams taking places Dec. 14–18. The spring 2021 semester is now scheduled to begin on Feb. 1, so that any student returning to campus at that point may quarantine prior to the start of classes. Click here to see the 2020–21 academic calendar.
For more details, please visit the College COVID-19 online dashboard at: wells.edu/covid-19-dashboard. (The dashboard will be updated with the latest information once all results have been received.)
