Dear Student,
You have likely heard about a number of confirmed cases of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in King and Snohomish Counties, including the death of two individuals in King County. The health and well-being of our campus community is important. As this public health situation continues to develop, the College is providing as much updated information to you as possible to let you know what we are doing to monitor and respond.
How the College is Responding
The College’s Communicable Disease Task Force has been activated for several weeks and is closely monitoring developments and following guidance from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Washington Department of Health, and Public Health – Seattle & King County. Based on current recommendations, our focus is on providing education about good health habits, ensuring the campus is prepared with appropriate supplies and resources, and establishing response plans should the outbreak become more widespread in the local community.
At this point, we are not aware of any known or suspected cases of COVID-19 on our campus, and campus remains open as usual.
Preparing Our Campus
We have ordered additional supplies, such as hand sanitizer and soap, to ensure all buildings are adequately supplied. Our custodial staff is paying additional attention to sanitation of high touchpoint areas on campus. We are in contact with any students or employees who are known to have recently returned from international travel and we are providing additional support to students living in the residence hall.
Nursing Students and Clinical Rotations
We are aware that nursing students at Lake Washington Tech have had cases of contact related to COVID-19 at one of their clinical sites. For Shoreline, all of our clinical sites have been contacted and we are maintaining vigilance to support our students and faculty in those sites to keep them safe, and ensure that if there were to be any inadvertent contacts, the students and faculty maintain themselves in a safe environment until healthy.
What Will Happen if an Outbreak Continues
The College is ready to activate various response protocols should additional measures need to be taken. Some of those scenarios could include: shifting classes and employee work to online or telecommuting options, canceling certain activities or events to minimize exposure risk, up to closing the campus for a period of time. We will continue to follow the advice of local and national health authorities and will immediately alert students and employees to any changes in College operations.
In the meantime, if you have COVID-19-related questions at Shoreline, you may contact the following individuals:
- For Student Concerns: Derek Levy, Acting Vice President of Students, Equity & Success (206-546-4544) or Yushin Wung, International Student Engagement Manager (206-546-6924).
- For Employee Concerns: Veronica Zura, Executive Director of Human Resources (206-546-7858).
Actions You Should Take Now
The most important action you can take right now is to follow basic personal health prevention measures:
- Stay home when you are sick, for your health and others.
- Know the symptoms of COVID-19: fever, cough, and difficulty breathing.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Cover your mouth and nose with your elbow or a tissue when you cough or sneeze; immediately throw the tissue in the trash and then wash or disinfect your hands.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces (including laptops and cell phones).
Preparations if You Need to Study from Home
If students are concerned about their own personal health, we ask that you contact your instructor to update them about your health concerns. Please feel free to request options for remote access or support via online instruction if needed.
Please remember, if you become ill, we ask that you take appropriate precautions to maintain your health and the health of others.
Additional Considerations
- Prepare your home in case you become ill or the campus needs to close: Have basic food and medical supplies stocked and make plans for alternate family care arrangements in the event of other school or childcare closures.
- Be aware of stigma related to COVID-19 and stand against it. The risk of novel coronavirus is not at all connected with race, ethnicity or nationality; yet in some places the fear of the spread of the disease has resulted in incidents of bias and harassment against certain groups of people, including those of Asian heritage. As stated in Shoreline’s Community Standard, the College does not tolerate any hateful, violent, or discriminatory actions.
I know this is a stressful time and it is natural to feel worried about your own and your loved ones’ health. Please know the College is being responsive to this evolving situation and taking precautions to reduce risks for our campus community. We will continue to provide regular updates and information. Your safety, health, and well-being are our primary concern.
Thank you for your cooperation,
Cheryl Roberts, Ed.D.
President
