5 Newhouse faculty members test positive for COVID-19
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Sept. 1
In an email to faculty on Wednesday, Mark Lodato, dean of the Newhouse School of Public Communications, revealed that a fifth member of Newhouse faculty has tested positive for COVID-19.
This member of faculty tested negative as recently as last week but began to experience systems this past Sunday, Lodato said. After taking a test on Monday, the faculty member received a positive test and informed Lodato today. Lodato said there is no indication whether or not this case is related to the others among faculty.
Aug. 30
Four faculty members from the Newhouse School of Public Communications have tested positive for COVID-19, Dean Mark Lodato confirmed this afternoon.
The first case was identified on Wednesday last week, following the university’s COVID-19 and contact tracing protocols, Lodato said in an email to Newhouse students today. The cases originated from Newhouse-specific small group events on Monday and Tuesday, Lodato told The Daily Orange.
“Most” of those testing positive have mild or no symptoms and are working with department chairs to accommodate for their classes, Lodato said in an email to Newhouse faculty. He also assured faculty members that none of the confirmed positive cases attended a university-wide new faculty orientation last Wednesday, an event where about 80 faculty members were in attendance.
Newhouse faculty members were informed of the positive cases on Wednesday night after attending the university-wide faculty orientation event.
In response to the cases, Lodato asked faculty not to serve food at Newhouse events without permission and encouraged chairs, directors and other team leaders to offer remote options when meeting with groups of people.
“I think it’s important for everyone to remember that this is not the same place that we were in a year ago,” Lodato told The Daily Orange. “We are going to have cases over the course of the year. I think our health protocols are working well and this was a good experience for us in that we were able to test out our system.”
