To Our Faculty and Staff:
Nine days ago, we began a temporary period of asking everyone who could work from home to do so—and requiring those who did come to campus to participate in weekly testing.
We took this step after Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine issued a statewide curfew through Thursday, Dec. 17, to try to slow the rapid growth of COVID-19 cases across the state. Unfortunately, the spread has continued unabated, and DeWine already has committed to extend the curfew and add other restrictions. He will announce their details during a press conference tomorrow.
While we have been fortunate to maintain a fairly low positivity rate (1.66%) for the week after Thanksgiving, Cuyahoga County’s has continued to climb precipitously—it now stands at 24.9%. Given that context, we will continue our current practice through the university’s last day of full operations in 2020, Wednesday, Dec. 23. That is, those who can work from home should continue to do so, while those who come to campus must follow all campus prevention protocols. The last day for asymptomatic COVID-19 testing in the Veale Recreation, Convocation and Athletic Center will be Wednesday, Dec. 16.
We will continue to monitor developments in our state and region during the days the university is closed, and update the campus community the week before faculty and staff return Monday, Jan. 4.
Thank you again for all that you have done to continue Case Western Reserve’s mission of research and education throughout this semester.
Scott Cowen
Interim President
Ben Vinson III
Provost and Executive Vice President