Mitchell College shifts to fully remote classes due to COVID-19 cases
New London — With break approaching and residence halls set to close Nov. 21, Mitchell College is moving to all remote classes through Sunday, Nov. 15, because of coronavirus cases on campus.
A notice on Mitchell’s website informed the school community that, “The number of positive COVID-19 cases on campus, though small, has risen recently.” It does not mention why cases have risen. But elsewhere on the school's website, it reports that as of Tuesday, and out of 1,661 COVID-19 tests administered to students and employees, 16 people have tested positive for a 0.96% positivity rate.
Reached for comment Wednesday night, Mitchell spokesperson Britt Barry said the school is preparing responses to specific questions about why cases rose.
The message from the school said classes would meet remotely, as would scheduled online events, and all in-person activities are canceled. In addition, commuter students can’t come to campus, on-campus students shouldn’t leave, students aren’t allowed to host guests in dormitories, and dining halls are only open for grab-and-go meals.
“Students employed off-campus should contact their employer to inform them that their college is under a COVID-19 Alert and that they’ve been asked to stay on campus,” the notice reads, before highlighting a COVID-19 testing schedule. It noted that COVID-19 testing would take place "for resident students only" under the tent outside of the Red Barn on Wednesday from noon to 2 p.m. and Thursday from 9 a.m. to noon.
The notice further stipulates that if an on-campus student leaves campus for more than 24 hours during the COVID-19 alert currently in effect, they must submit negative test results before returning to campus.
Connecticut College had 19 COVID-19 cases among students and two among employees in the week that ended Sunday. Since then, it has detected no new cases, according to its online "dashboard," or website that traces cases. Separately, the University of Connecticut updated its dashboard Wednesday, showing the first case reported at the university's Avery Point campus in Groton.
The governor's office reported that New London County has so far seen 4,335 confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, an increase of 79 since numbers were reported Tuesday; probable cases decreased by one to 140. The county has seen 119 confirmed deaths associated with the disease, an increase of two since Tuesday's report, while probable related deaths increased by one to 35. Hospitalizations for the disease edged up by two in that 24-hour period, to 29.
On Wednesday, Lawrence + Memorial Hospital in New London reported it was treating 16 COVID-19 patients, while Westerly Hospital had six.
This is a developing story.
Day Staff Writer Brian Hallenbeck contributed to this report.
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