Marist Extends Pause After More Positive Coronavirus Cases Found

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY — Marist College, which had put its campus on pause because of positive new coronavirus cases, extended the time that classes will be held virtually.

Originally, the college last week had said all classes would be held remotely for Friday and Saturday. But in a letter Sunday to the community, officials said the temporary campus pause would be extended until Wednesday.

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"As detailed in the email sent on Thursday, October 8, the college identified new cases of COVID-19 ad quickly implemented our procedures for contact tracing and additional testing of close contacts to previous positive cases," school officials wrote.

"During this process, our medical team discovered additional positive cases," they said.

As reported on Friday, Marist's COVID-19 Dashboard said there were 19 positive cases of the virus since students arrived on campus at the beginning of the semester.

As of Sunday, the dashboard said there were 33 positive cases of the new coronavirus since the beginning of the semester. There are 21 cases in isolation at home or off campus and four in isolation on campus.

Marist College COVID-19 Alert Level is now set at yellow, meaning the incidence of virus remains low, but potential for increase in transmission exists. Yellow is the second lowest level.

In addition to the pause extension, multiple rounds of targeted student testing will be implemented. All students must comply with the requests, even if they have been recently tested.

The school has instituted a precautionary temporary quarantine for the Fulton Townhouses 1 to 15, and all residents have received a message with protocols.

"While our success in managing this situation in the first six weeks of the semester is a testament to our work together, this recent turn of events serves as a critical reminder: COVID-19 is still a threat to the campus and the larger community, and must be taken seriously," school officials said. "Our path forward requires full compliance by the entire Marist community and our collective vigilance."

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