August 7, 2020
Dear Mandel School Students:
I write today with additional information regarding the required 14-day quarantine for students leaving from a state that is included in Ohio’s COVID-19 Travel Advisory.
To address what is becoming an increasingly complicated situation as we comply with Ohio’s Travel Advisory, the university has decided that students will need to quarantine for 14 days if the state they are in on the day of their departure is on Ohio’s Travel Advisory. Gov. Mike DeWine will be updating the list of affected states every Wednesday afternoon.
In light of the fluidity that this development adds to an already rapidly changing situation, I wanted to alert you to the procedures involved in the event your state joins the list on subsequent Wednesdays.
Please note: Ohio’s standard for including states on its advisory is a 15 percent positive test rate; as of this writing, more than three dozen states have rates below 10 percent.
Unless you are in one of the states cited in this week’s advisory (Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Idaho, Mississippi, Nevada), you do not need to take any action at this time. As new information becomes available, we will continue to update you.
Those entering Ohio after travel to states reporting positive testing rates of 15% or higher for COVID-19 are advised to self-quarantine for 14 days before coming to campus or going to a field assignment.
Positivity rate is an indicator of how much COVID-19 there is in a community, and ODH is recommending against travel to those states with high positivity. If someone must travel, ODH is recommending 14 days of self-quarantine after leaving those locations. This advisory is intended for both leisure and business travel, and should be heeded by both Ohioans and out-of-state travelers.
If you have further questions on quarantining, fall semester, remote learning, etc., I encourage you to attend one of our upcoming Townhall Tuesdays, presented by the Mandel School Student Engagement Team. These ongoing forums were created as an opportunity for you to share your voice, receive support, and help build community and communication as we navigate these challenging, uncertain times. Information gathered from previous Townhalls has been compiled on the Student Townhall Tuesday FAQ webpage. You can register for an upcoming Townhall Tuesday, held at 12 p.m. and 6 p.m. EST, on August 11, September 8, September 22 or October 27.
Thank you again for your patience and understanding in what is a very fluid situation.
Sincerely,
Grover C. Gilmore, PhD
Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Dean in Applied Social Sciences