Sacred Heart Student Has Coronavirus, University Says

FAIRFIELD, CT — A Sacred Heart University student has been confirmed to have the new coronavirus, the college announced over the weekend.

The student lived off campus and had only visited the university twice since spring break ended March 8, according to a message Saturday from Sacred Heart, which said the student’s symptoms were mild and that everyone the student was in contact with over the past two weeks had already been notified.

As of Monday, there were eight confirmed cases of the virus in Fairfield, while Fairfield County had 270 confirmed cases. Across Connecticut, 415 cases had been confirmed, 10 of which were fatal, according to data from the state.

Sacred Heart also recently announced changes to commencement and plans to compensate boarding costs for students who left campus after the university switched to online-only learning to prevent the spread of the virus.

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Students who are no longer living on campus will get partial credit in the next semester for room charges and meal plans, and graduating seniors will receive a refund upon request. Commencement, originally set for May, will be delayed.

“The whole world is in unprecedented territory here, and I am proud — but not surprised — of the way you are handling the upheaval this has caused in your lives,” President John Petillo said in a message, dated Friday. “I miss you all and can’t wait until we can be together again on campus.”

Fairfield University, which has also changed to online learning for the duration of the semester, announced in an email Sunday similar plans to “make certain equitable adjustments” for student boarding expenses and to postpone May’s commencement.

The new coronavirus has brought sweeping changes to daily life in Connecticut, on and off campus. Sacred Heart and Fairfield universities moved to remote learning earlier in March. In Fairfield, public recreation areas are no longer open and town services have adjusted operations. Schools and non-essential businesses are closed statewide and expected to stay that way until late April.