On Dec. 6, the Washington College Contingency Planning Group announced via campus-wide email that there have been three positive COVID-19 cases reported within the student population from Nov. 29 to Dec. 5.
According to the email, two of the students who tested positive returned home, while the other is currently in quarantined housing on campus, with the two most recent cases “hav[ing] been confirmed in the last 48 hours with a PCR test” on Dec. 5 and Dec. 6 after initial positive results via antigen tests. Both contact notification and rapid testing of close contacts for these two cases have been completed, and the CPG is currently awaiting results from the recent PCR tests.
The third positive case was reported on Nov. 30. That student is currently off campus, and all contact notification has been completed.
According to the email, while these reported cases ” are not linked and are most likely associated with recent visits home,” nor indicating an outbreak on campus, the CPG strongly recommends all WC students, staff, and faculty members to abide by the following mandated COVID-19 safety protocols: wearing masks in all public spaces; contacting Health Services with any concerns if one is feeling unwell or has concerns about a potential recent exposure; and taking additional precautions to ensure one’s and others’ safety, such as avoiding large gatherings, wearing masks at all times, practicing social distancing, and receiving COVID-19 booster and flu shots.
The CPG also said that they will continue to update the College COVID-19 Dashboard regularly and ” will alert the community directly if there is further spread.” As a reminder, positive COVID-19 cases are “generally updated on a weekly basis,” with charts available providing information regarding the total number of COVID-19 tests administered. The top of the dashboard’s page indicates the total number of positive COVID-19 cases reported the day prior based on internal surveillance testing. Additional external positive cases reported by outside sources will be reported weekly in a separate chart.