PIQUA — Edison State Community College is taking precautions to limit in-person classes, group gatherings on campus, and non-essential employee travel this month in response to the coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, after it was announced this week that three people in the state were positive for the virus.
“We are at a unique moment in our nation’s history of public health challenges,” Edison State President Dr. Doreen Larson said in a statement on Wednesday. “At Edison State Community College, the health, safety and well-being of our students, faculty and staff — as well as their families — is always of utmost importance.”
Ohio on Monday announced the state’s first confirmed cases of the coronavirus after three people in Cuyahoga County in northeastern Ohio tested positive for the virus. According to the Associated Press, all three — a husband and wife who were on a Nile cruise, and a man who attended the America Israel Public Affairs Committee conference in Washington, D.C. — are in their mid-50s and are from Cuyahoga County.
“The Edison State team, along with local and state health officials, are working diligently by identifying precautionary measures the college, as well as individuals, should take during this time,” Larson said.
Edison State, in order to “mitigate the community spread” of the virus, will be moving all in-person classes at Edison State “to a distance-learning method of instruction until at least March 30.” Edison State will also be extending spring break by one week to allow for this transition. Classes will resume online on Monday, March 23.
“Students will hear directly from their respective deans and/or faculty instructor regarding any specific instructions as we move forward,” Larson said. “Edison State will continue to actively monitor the situation during this time to determine our next steps. All of us must do our part in getting through this challenging time.”
Larson also added, “Edison State is also limiting group gatherings on campus and eliminating all non-essential employee travel.”
For additional information and updates, visit www.edisonohio.edu/covid-19.
In addition to the three confirmed cases of people with coronavirus in the state of Ohio, there are also five people under investigation for the virus who have been tested for the virus and whose laboratory results are pending. There have been 11 people tested for the virus whose test results were negative. There are also 255 people under some type of health supervision, and those people include travelers referred to the Ohio Department of Health for monitoring and travelers who have completed their self-monitoring period. These individuals are not exhibiting symptoms of illness, according to the Ohio Department of Health.
In the U.S., there are a total of 647 cases of the coronavirus, have been 25 deaths, and are 36 jurisdictions reporting cases, including the District of Columbia.
