by, Nicole Fitzsimmons & Kyla Guilfoil, News Editor & Asst. News Editor
As students and faculty continue to work against COVID-19 on campus, Manhattan College has implemented new rules to combat the spread.
In a recent email to students, Jaspers Return noted that as of the first week of February, the positive test average for students within the past two weeks was 0.48%. The seven-day positive test average for New York City was 5.1% on February 3rd in comparison.
The college also stated in this email their recent changes in order to ensure the safety of students and continue to minimize the percentage of cases on campus. Specifically, the college has ruled out the wearing of neck gaiters or bandanas as a form of face coverings.
“As you know, everyone on campus is required to wear a face mask. To increase protection against the spread of COVID-19, we are updating our guidance to prohibit the use of neck gaiters or bandanas as face coverings on campus.”
The email continued with informing students about surveillance testing that will take place regularly over the course of the semester.
“Everyone who will be on campus this semester is required to participate in regular surveillance testing. The only exception is if you have tested positive for COVID-19 during the previous 90 days,” stated the email.
The college is continuing to ensure that all students complete the Daily Symptom Tracker to receive their green pass when coming onto campus as well. Public safety officers will continue to ask all members of the community to show their green passes when entering the campus from either parking lots or the parking garage.
To get a grasp on the feelings of students during this tense time period, the college will also be distributing a survey for the campus to fill out about the current situation.
“We will soon distribute a survey to students and employees to gather a snapshot of the current climate at Manhattan College, as we navigate the pandemic. The answers provided will be confidential, but not anonymous,” the email continued.
Students should expect to find this survey in their email during the next week.
The efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19 on campus do not stop here, and Jaspers Return encourages all students to continue to work amongst their community during this time. Students and employees are again encouraged to apply to become One Manhattan ambassadors who educate and encourage other Jaspers to wear a mask and maintain healthy practices.
The email includes a link for members of campus to apply to volunteer to join the effort in keeping the community safe.
Despite these regulations, students and faculty are continuing to stay cautious and work as a community against the virus. Jaspers Return encourages students to continue to wear their masks in and around campus, follow the signage around campus, and complete their daily symptom tracker. Most importantly, staying home when feeling sick.