Dear Students, Faculty and Staff,

There remain no confirmed cases of COVID-19 on campus or in Worcester County, but we have an important update.

Over spring break, 10 Clark students attended a large policy conference in Washington, D.C. On Friday, March 6, the conference organizers announced that a few conference attendees had tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. Prior to that announcement, one of the Clark students who had attended the conference had already returned to their campus residence hall (Bullock Hall). Consistent with our protocol at this time to take every possible step to protect the health and wellbeing of the Clark community from this virus, here are the actions the University has taken:

• Following our protocol, we have advised all of the Clark students who attended the conference to remain away from campus and Clark housing for 14 days.
• Accordingly, the student who had already returned to campus has left the campus for this duration.
• Presently, the students have shown no symptoms of illness. We have urged the students to contact their healthcare providers if they do show any symptoms of illness. Consistent with current healthcare practices, their healthcare provider would then determine if they should be tested for COVID-19. If the students show any symptoms of illness, we will push back the time of their return to campus accordingly.
• The University has made arrangements to support each of these students in continuing their academic work from elsewhere.
• Facilities management has comprehensively cleaned Bullock Hall and all surfaces in the building.
• In advance of this development the University had already adopted an intensified cleaning protocol for the entire campus following the guidelines of the World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). We are grateful to our facilities team for their intensified and comprehensive efforts.

Please continue to follow the health guidelines provided by the CDC as outlined on the Clark University COVID-19 web page. As this is a fast-moving situation, please check that website regularly.

As classes begin again tomorrow, please support each other with the care and compassion that are hallmarks of our community. We will provide updates of any new developments.

Sincerely,

David Angel, President
Paul Wykes, Chair, COVID-19 Response Taskforce