Concerning spike in COVID-19 cases

Dear UAlbany Community,

The Albany County Department of Health (ACDOH) today notified the University of a very concerning spike in COVID-19 cases among students in recent days that, if not addressed immediately, could result in suspending all in-person activities, including teaching, on our campuses.

As of this evening, our campus COVID-19 dashboard reflects 40 positive cases among students since the start of the semester – 31 of which were reported to ACDOH within the last 24 hours. Clusters have been identified within Athletics and in off-campus student housing in the Pine Hills neighborhood, but are not isolated to these students.

We are working diligently with our partners at ACDOH to isolate and quarantine impacted students, but it is essential that all students continue to follow state and University public health directives. These include wearing a mask in public at all times, maintaining six feet of physical distance, frequent hand-washing, and avoiding large gatherings.

We are all responsible for ensuring the health and safety of our campus community. As such, we are all required to cooperate with the directives of local public health officials. Violations of these directives—including failure to immediately respond to University or county health department inquiries or failure to adhere to isolation and quarantine—will result in severe consequences, up to and including suspension or dismissal from the University.

Any students who wish to be tested for COVID-19 should contact Student Health Services at 518-442-5454 to schedule a COVID-19 test on campus. Concerned employees can make an appointment at the NYS test site on campus by calling 888-364-3065.

As you know, we need to work together as a community, and we must all adhere to our pledge and responsibility to protect the health of those around us. We sincerely appreciate your vigilance and commitment to the collective health of our campus community. The actions we take over the next few days will determine the course of the rest of our semester.
 

Sincerely,

Havidán Rodríguez
President
 

Michael N. Christakis
Vice President, Student Affairs