COVID-Related Updates for This Week

Rockhurst Student, Faculty and Staff Companions, 

If you have been following the news, you surely are aware that COVID cases are on the rise locally and nationally for a number of reasons. Today, we’ll provide reminders of ways to protect yourselves – and your family members and friends – from its spread. 

Important Reminders 

• In our weekly meeting with the Kansas City Health Department, public health officials cautioned that a key way the virus is now being spread locally is in small group gatherings of friends and family when people let down their guard, take off their masks and don’t practice social distancing.  
• As the prevalence of COVID continues to get higher in the Kansas City community, interactions with others in groups of any size are more likely to cause transmission simply due to the number of infections. 
• The CDC recommends that you only share a Thanksgiving meal with people in your own household. 
• We had to do another preventive quarantine after a large, noncompliant social gathering at a bar where at least one person was COVID positive. We advise you to NOT visit bars due to the difficulty to maintain proper COVID-avoidance protocols. We also advise against going to restaurants or gathering spaces that aren’t following pandemic protocols or where you are unable to follow them. 
• We are now within a window where, if you are unknowingly carrying the COVID virus, you could expose family members at Thanksgiving. Please remember that even if you have a mild case or don’t know you are COVID positive (asymptomatic), you can expose those who are in high-risk categories, including grandparents and other loved ones who may be health-compromised. 
• The CDC recently updated its guidance on mask wearing based on data that show the wearer is also protected. A simple way to protect yourself and others is to wear a mask that covers your nose and mouth AND to stay six feet away from anyone not in your household. 
• Tents in front of and behind Massman Hall will be heated from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Friday until next Friday, Nov. 20. 
• If you wish to preventatively get tested for COVID prior to going home for Thanksgiving, please visit this site for possible options – www.rockhurst.edu/return-to-the-rock (General FAQ, How Can I Get Tested for COVID-19?).  Know that spots are filling up quickly as others seek to do the same thing.

Rockhurst Thanksgiving Holiday Schedule 

• Residence halls close for most students Nov. 20. 
• No classes will be held the week of Thanksgiving, Nov. 23-27, and University offices will be closed. 
• After Thanksgiving break, the remainder of instruction, except for some clinical sessions, and finals will take place remotely. Faculty will communicate expectations to students. This schedule was announced prior to the start of the semester and is not a change. 

Positive and Quarantined Cases 

We are currently Level 3 (Orange) out of four levels, which simply means there is one or more active cases on campus. 

There are twice as many reported infections this week in the Kansas City community compared to last week and the percent of available ICU beds continues to decrease. We have also seen some increases in the RU community, as well as stability and decreases in some categories.  

As of Nov. 10   

*Fifteen of the undergraduate positive cases are in University residential facilities. The number of beds available on campus for isolation is 45 and the number of occupied beds is eight. 

Definitions 

• COVID Active: tested positive for COVID; isolated 
• Quarantined: had close contact with a COVID-positive person; possibly being tested 
• Close Contact: You were within 6 feet of someone who has COVID-19 for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period; You provided care at home to someone who is sick with COVID-19; You had direct physical contact with the person (hugged or kissed them); You shared eating or drinking utensils; They sneezed, coughed, or somehow got respiratory droplets on you 

We are nearing the end of the in-person portion of our semester. Please enjoy your time with others, be gentle with yourselves, wear a mask, keep at least six feet of space between you and others, wash your hands lots, and get outside as much as possible! 

Sincerely,  

Matthew D. Quick, Ph.D.   
Dean of Students/Vice President   
Student Development and Athletics   
   
Douglas N. Dunham, Ph.D.   
Provost and Senior Vice President   
Academic Affairs