By CASEY ROEPKE ’21 and ANNA KANE ’20
Mount Holyoke informed the College community of its first reported case presumed to be the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, on Wednesday, April 8. In a statement sent to the entire student body, Associate Vice President of Human Resources Heidi Friedman and Director of Health Services Karen Engell said that the College was alerted of a community member’s presumed positive test for COVID-19 on April 7. According to the email, the individual was not in contact with anyone when last on campus, nor were they experiencing symptoms at that time.
A second statement from Friedman and Engell was released on Thursday, April 9, alerting members of the College community to a second presumed positive COVID-19 case. The individual, a College employee, has been quarantined for 14 days, according to the statement. The individuals the employee came into contact with when last on campus were notified and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) protocols for cleaning will be followed.
Due to HIPAA privacy legislation, neither individual was named in the statements. However, both emails disclosed that both College employees were on campus as recently as March 23.
“When there is a public health need to share more information on reported confirmed or presumptive cases we will do so,” wrote Friedman and Engell.
The reports from Mount Holyoke come after several other cases were presumed or confirmed at other schools in the Five College Consortium. As of April 8, Amherst College has not reported any confirmed or presumed cases of COVID-19.
On March 26, Hampshire College notified students, faculty and staff that an employee had tested positive for COVID-19. The employee had been working off-campus since March 13, and had not worked directly with students or colleagues in the intermediary time.
The University of Massachusetts Amherst reported their first confirmed case of COVID-19 on April 5. The affected individual is a Dining Services employee at the Blue Wall Cafe and is currently self-isolating off campus.
Smith College reported on April 7 that a contractor who had been working on Smith’s campus tested positive for COVID-19. The contractor has not been on campus since April 2 and did not have any interaction with students, faculty or staff.
According to the Boston Globe, a total of 18,941 cases and 503 deaths have been confirmed in Massachusetts as of April 9 . A database compiled and maintained by The New York Times has found that, as of April 10, Hampshire County — where the Five College Consortium resides — has reported a total of 177 COVID-19 cases and two deaths. According to WWLP 22 News, one positive case was reported in South Hadley on March 25. The resident has been in self-isolation and their close contacts were identified and self-quarantined.
“We urge our community to continue practicing physical distancing and observe the current Massachusetts stay-at-home advisory not only to ensure your own well-being, but the well-being of others,” wrote Friedman and Engell in the second statement. According to the letter, the College’s COVID-19 FAQ page is being continuously updated with information for community members as it becomes available.