February 19, 2021 – Threshold Action Level Update

Dear Whitman Community,

I have an update for you on the Whitman Threshold Action Level and campus activities. This week, the cabinet, elected faculty leadership and our consulting epidemiologist included two significant factors in the decision-making process:

• Lack of data from this week’s surveillance testing; winter weather disrupted shipping throughout the region and across the country and delayed the processing of samples, so we do not yet have the pooled testing results.

• The cluster of COVID-19 cases in Anderson Hall.

Following a period of quarantine and repeated testing, we are pleased that no new cases of COVID were identified in Anderson residents and the majority of students have been released from quarantine. While we believe the Anderson outbreak has been contained, the delayed results of this week’s surveillance testing mean we have less data than we would like with which to make decisions. Therefore, we feel it is appropriately cautious to remain at our current level of activity.

As a campus community, we will remain in Threshold Action Level 2: Medium with the following temporary modifications:

• Residence halls are closed to inter-campus visits. Residential students may only enter their own hall and are not allowed to host any visitors from other residence halls or from off campus.

• Sit-down dining in Cleveland Commons and Jewett Cafe is suspended. On-campus meals continue as grab-and-go service limited to students only. We continue to postpone opening grab-and-go service for faculty and staff.

• Cleveland Commons and Jewett Cafe will be available as study spaces. Students must be properly masked and follow social distancing practices, including marked occupancy and seating limits.

• The BFFC, the climbing wall and the tennis courts remain closed to recreational student use. SSRA classes continue to meet in-person following masking, distancing and occupancy guidelines.

• Off-campus students should not gather with or host visitors from outside their households. 

We should have a more complete data set to evaluate by the middle of next week, and if it confirms that there are not signs of COVID spreading in the campus community, we hope to lift some of these temporary restrictions. 

While conditions in Walla Walla County show signs of improvement and restrictions are loosening under the Roadmap to Recovery Phase 2 guidelines, we will continue to offer guidance that aligns with the needs of our campus and community. For example, while state guidance now allows for indoor gatherings of up to five people total from two households, we continue to ask off-campus students not to host outside visitors in their homes. 

We are hopeful that our campus is moving in a positive direction, and should this week’s data confirm this, we anticipate loosening restrictions both on and off campus in the coming days and weeks. Thank you for understanding our caution, and working together to minimize COVID spread in the meantime.

Best,
Peter Harvey
Chair, Coronavirus Task Force