PROVIDENCE – Thirty-one Johnson & Wales University off-campus students have tested positive for COVID-19, JWU Providence Campus President Marie Bernardo-Sousa said in a statement late Wednesday.
In addition, roughly 100 students who have tested negative are under a 14-day quarantine due to being in close contact with individuals that tested positive for the virus.
Bernardo-Sousa said that JWU increased its testing of students since the recent outbreak occurred at Providence College. PC has been conducting remote learning the last two weeks after more than 200 students, most of them living off-campus, tested positive for the virus in that stretch.
The JWU students who have tested positive are exhibiting mild symptoms and do not require specialized care, Bernardo-Sousa said. Those who need to be quarantined have the option to stay in a designated residence hall at JWU or return home if they can “travel privately and safely with their families’ knowledge,” Bernardo-Sousa said. Health, dining and other services will be provided by JWU to the recovering and quarantining students.
“Through isolation and quarantine, we are able to mitigate the spread of the virus while allowing those students’ academic journeys to remain on track,” Bernardo-Sousa said, also noting that JWU will continue to conduct sentinel testing in “hot spot” areas.
In July, JWU announced that most of the classes held this fall will be conducted online. It is unclear if any operations at JWU will be impacted by the current outbreak or when additional testing results will be announced. JWU officials did not immediately respond Thursday to a request for comment.
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.
