NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) — Christopher Newport University announced over the weekend three unconfirmed COVID-19 cases involving students.

The reported cases had yet to be verified via test results by the Virginia Department of Health, CNU says. University officials say the students, one of which had symptoms, had no connection to each other, and anyone who may have been exposed has been directed to quarantine.

The students include:

  • A symptomatic commuter student who was at the school’s Freeman Center for less than 30 minutes during the week before feeling ill and leaving campus
  • An asymptomatic resident student who was directed to seek a test after potential exposure to a non-university friend from back home
  • An asymptomatic residential student who was on campus for less than two hours while moving into the residence hall

CNU has yet to officially reopen to classes. At the end of July, the university pushed reopening back to Monday, August 31, due to trends in COVID-19 data locally. Newport News, and Hampton Roads as whole, have seen case trends drop since then, but virus levels are still higher than earlier in the pandemic.

In a letter on August 13, Provost Dave Doughty said he expects about two-thirds of classes will be in-person, with the rest online. Classes will run from August 31 to December 11 with no fall break, and classes will be conducted online.

The university says these preventative steps are in place to help reduce the spread of the virus on campus:

  • Completion of the required Return to Campus training found in the Knowledge Center (employees) or Scholar (students)
  • Completion of the daily symptom screener every day, regardless of your intention to be on campus
  • Wearing a mask while on campus
  • Practicing physical distancing of at least 6 feet
  • Limiting on and off-campus gatherings to the permissible numbers outlined in university policies and the commonwealth of Virginia orders
    • Physical distancing and mask requirements remain applicable in these gatherings
  • Informing the university immediately whenever a COVID-19 test is taken, a positive COVID-19 test result is received, and/or isolation/quarantine is ordered by a health professional or university official
    • Students must notify the Office of Student Affairs at dosa@cnu.edu or 594-7160
    • Faculty and staff must contact Human Resources (hr-tracker@cnu.edu) 594-7145 and their department chair and dean or supervisor
  • Cooperating with university officials if/when contacted regarding symptom screenings, contact tracing, and/or other university requests
    • The university will directly notify those students, faculty and staff who may have been exposed so that quarantining and other measures can be directed.

CNU joined other local colleges in delaying the start of fall classes. However in-person classes have resumed elsewhere in the country, including at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, where at least 4 “clusters” of COVID-19 have been identified.

For more details on CNU’s reopening plan, visit cnu.edu/relaunch and cnu.edu/coronavirus.

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