Keuka moves to online learning

KEUKA PARK--The Yates County Department of Public Health confirmed on Monday, Oct. 12, 14 Keuka College students tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in the previous 24 hours. This brings the number of active cases among the college community to 49, with one case resolved.
In addition, 108 students who may have had contact with the affected students are currently quarantined, roughly two-thirds of them on campus according to the college. An additional 43 students are isolating.
The college continues to follow its response protocols in cooperation with county public health officials, who are conducting contact tracing. Anyone who has been in immediate proximity to an infected individual will be contacted directly by health officials and provided with information regarding the necessary next steps. Any student contacted by a medical professional or the New York State Public Health Department and directed to quarantine must notify the college of their status.
In response to the cases, Keuka College has transitioned to distance learning for a two-week period beginning Monday, Oct. 12. Adult and Online Education (AOE) classes remain online for the duration of the semester as originally planned.
"This is the best way to accommodate the immediate instructional needs of all our students, whether they are quarantining or not," said college President Amy Storey.
Students have been urged to remain on campus during the distance-learning period and reminded that unnecessary travel increases health risks to the people in their families and broader home communities.
The college tracks all active and resolved cases on its COVID-19 Dashboard, which is updated daily. The state's collection of all schools and universities' COVID status can be found here: schoolcovidreportcard.health.ny.gov.
"This setback is disappointing," Storey told the college community last week, "but we need to do what this college community has always done in times of crisis: rally together, support one another, and draw on our collective strength to overcome our immediate challenges and complete this semester with the strength and dignity you have displayed throughout the pandemic."