Marist Shuts Down Campus Again Due to COVID-19 Outbreak

For the second time in less than a month, Marist College has shut down its campus. Students are told to limit their interactions to only the people they live with.

On Thursday, Marsit College officials placed the campus on pause until at least Monday.

The terms of this campus pause are as follows:

• All classes will be held remotely
• All on- and off-campus activities, including gatherings of any kind, are suspended
• For public health reasons, students are encouraged to limit their interactions to their “pod” (e.g. roommates or immediate housemates)
• Outdoor individual or small group “pod” activities, with appropriate public health measures in place, are permitted (e.g. taking a walk around campus, eating outside, socializing with roommates, etc.)
• Students must stay within their own room in their residence facility. Students are prohibited from visiting any other room, traditional residence hall, apartment, or townhouse
• In-person dining is paused and meal plans are grab-and-go only
• All athletic team training sessions are canceled
• James J. McCann Recreation Center will remain closed to recreational activity
• Students must remain on campus and avoid traveling unless such travel is directed by Marist health professionals or staff
• Only officially approved visitors are allowed on campus
• During the modified pause, surveillance testing will continue. If you are called, it is critical that you report for testing. Our testing protocol is what has and will continue to keep our campus safe.

"While the terms of this pause will be slightly different from our earlier pause in October, the goal is the same: to ensure the safety of the Marist community and arrest any spread of the coronavirus while our Medical and Contact Tracing teams perform their work," Marist College officials said in a post on its COVID-19 website. We want to remind you that the College has a zero-tolerance policy for those who do not comply with our guidelines. This is to prioritize the safety of the vast majority of students who have abided by the rules this semester."

On Wednesday, the college confirmed seven new cases of COVID-19. It's unclear how the new outbreak started.

Last month, Marist College was placed on pause after officials learned of multiple positive COVID-19 cases among students as a result of an off-campus gathering held without proper precautions, including wearing masks and social distancing, officials say.

Days later, officials announced contact tracers tested close contacts of the students with COVID-19 and more positive cases were found among students. The college later announced over 1,000 students were tested and at least 29 positive cases were identified. Most of the confirmed COVID-19 cases can be attributed to an off-campus event, officials say.