William Paterson Reports First Positive Coronavirus Tests

WAYNE, NJ — William Paterson University's COVID-19 tracker was updated for the first time last week. Of course, that isn't a good thing.

In a letter, Dr. Jill Guzman, Director of Counseling, Health and Wellness Center, announced that four students and a staff member tested positive for the coronavirus on Sept. 25.

The students who tested positive all live on campus, and Guzman said three of the positive tests are likely related.

Though it wasn't disclosed how they could be related, Guzman mentioned the risk of parties or other gatherings amid the pandemic.

"I want to reiterate the risk of large social gatherings, whether on or off-campus, and the critical importance of following the health and safety protocols that have been identified to reduce the transmission of COVID-19," said Guzman.

Unrelated to the student cases, according to Guzman, was the staff members positive test result.

"All five individuals are under isolation off campus, and we wish them a full and speedy recovery," Guzman wrote.

University President Richard Helldobler called the positive tests "inevitable," and went so far as to say that it should be viewed as positive that the tests didn't come sooner.

"The fact that we went a month into the semester before confronting any positive cases speaks well to the thoroughness of our reopening plan and our compliance as a community," he wrote in a Sept. 28 letter.

William Paterson is operating with a hybrid model, and quickly began cleaning and sanitization protocols after the positive tests were recorded, the university announced.

The five cases were the first at the Wayne university. These cases will be recorded on a COVID-19 dashboard, which is updated weekly on Friday, according to a university spokesperson.