March 8, 2020
Dear Students,
You may have heard that in an effort to help Stony Brook University students, and other SUNY students studying abroad in countries that have been designated by the US Department of State for Level 2 Travel Alerts and Level 3 Travel Warnings due to the spread of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus in those areas, SUNY, under the direction of the New York State Department of Health, urged all program participants in the impacted countries to return to New York and begin a 14-day precautionary quarantine either at home or at a designated residence hall on one of three designated SUNY campuses. SUNY chartered flights to transport students from Italy, Japan and South Korea, and Stony Brook Southampton was selected as one of the locations for the precautionary quarantine because it has the facilities, services, technology, clinical and general staffing capabilities to accommodate NYS DOH precautionary quarantine guidelines.
A cohort of these study abroad students arrived in the United States on Saturday evening; 22 are currently housed in Southampton campus residence halls. The students were pre-screened and had no symptoms of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus. They are now undergoing the 14-day precautionary quarantine period (as would any traveler returning from Italy) as a preventative measure.
The 22 students who have been quarantined on the South Hampton Campus will not be in the same areas as our students. They will stay in their designated dorms, which have been opened only for them. They will NOT have access to the academic buildings. They will have food delivered and all essential items will be in their living space, so there will be no need for them to leave their rooms. All precautions have been taken to closely monitor these students. We have been assured that the safety of OUR students is a priority.
In the meantime, as the Coronoavirus continues to unfold, it is important to remind you of the prevention recommendations made by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/prevention-treatment.html), including if you feel your health is compromised in any way, stay home.
All efforts are being made to be able to deliver course work on line should we not be able to return after spring break. As of today, classes remain in session at all campus locations.
Thank you all for your assistance as we continue to support each other.
Again, our main priority is protecting our community.
Stacy Jaffee Gropack, PT., Ph.D., FASAHP
Dean and Professor
School of Health Technology and Management
