The Princeton Health Department is “in the process of identifying and contacting all those who may have come in contact with the infected person,” according to their release.
The University has canceled 2020 Reunions amid COVID-19 concerns. No decisions has been made regarding Commencement and other end of year celebrations for the class of 2020.
Room draw will now take place starting on Monday, April 6.
The petition outlines 16 demands, which seek to establish a “universal floor for all of the Princeton community members,” according to Hrishi Somayaji GS, one of the petition’s authors. Somayaji expressed hope that the University will standardize compensation and other policies across academic departments.
Though students will be permitted to P/D/F more than one class this semester, it is unclear whether classes currently designated non-P/D/F (npdf), such as writing seminars, foreign languages, and hundreds of other courses, will be required to transition to grading that allows for the P/D/F option.
Students were informed of this new policy at varying times by their individual departments, in some cases only a day before the deadline by which they were expected to move out of their dorms and leave campus.
As of today’s announcement, University Health Services (UHS) has tested three students. The first student tested in McCosh Health Center’s results came back negative yesterday. One of the students awaiting results is “currently self-isolating on campus at a UHS designated site,” while the other is “self-isolating at home.”
The student was exhibiting flu-like symptoms and was tested and immediately placed in self-isolation on March 11 due to what the University’s latest update called “an abundance of caution.”
Though the curfew is only a recommendation, all “non-essential retail, recreational, and entertainment businesses” will be forced to close after 8 p.m. each night.
On Sunday, a third University staff member tested positive for COVID-19, according to an exclusive statement to The Daily Princetonian from University Deputy Spokesperson Mike Hotchkiss.
Citing a declaration from the World Health Organization of COVID-19’s status as a pandemic and heightened alerts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the University is recalling students from Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Kenya, Panama, the Middle East/North Africa region, Singapore, and South Africa.
On Saturday, March 14, Senior Associate Dean of the College Claire M. Fowler, wrote to the Class of 2020 regarding a change in the exemption status for senior thesis accommodations. “Only a small number of seniors who have been identified by their departments as having a critical need to access campus resources to complete their thesis requirement will be permitted to stay,” she wrote. “The key word here is ‘critical.’”
The first staff member had previously tested positive on Friday, March 13. Both of the staff members will remain in self-isolation, and the University stated it is “working to ensure they have the support and access to care that they need.”
Forced to monitor the evolving crises both in the United States and abroad, international students continue to grapple with unanswered questions, most pressingly whether they can and should stay on campus.
The Department of Public Safety “may document these large gatherings,” and according to the email, students should “expect disciplinary consequences.” Failure to disburse may result in arrest for disorderly conduct.
The second staff member possibly exposed to the virus at an off-campus gathering is still self-isolating — with their result still pending. The undergraduate student tested for COVID-19 yesterday after exhibiting flu-like symptoms also “continues to remain in isolation.”
“We live in a small, interconnected town,” Lempert wrote. “The University and larger community are tied together in multiple ways. So when we put social distancing protocols in place, it makes it more challenging to meet and interact with each other and the general energy level in the town feels quieter.”
"We understand that our residents are concerned about this rapidly evolving situation, and we're determined to take whatever steps are necessary to minimize the risks for the people of Mercer County," Mercer County Executive Brian Hughes said.
Given the timing of the Administration’s announcement, the students were given less than two days to pack their bags.
According to students at Dillon Gym, students who are leaving before noon on Friday are being allowed to take “two boxes and a roll of tape each.” Those leaving after that time are being instructed to come back “at 9 a.m.” on Friday morning, at which point the full supply of four boxes and two rolls of tape will be available.
