Marist Puts Campus On Pause Due To Recent Coronavirus Infections

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY — Marist College in Poughkeepsie is putting the campus on pause until further notice because of multiple positive cases of the new coronavirus.

In an update posted on the college's website, school officials said they found out Thursday there were multiple positive cases of the virus as a result of an off-campus gathering held last weekend without proper precautions, including wearing masks and social distancing.

Nine new cases were reported Thursday, according to Marist Circle.

Marist's COVID-19 Dashboard said there have been 19 positive cases since students arrived on campus.

The college said it is investigating the recent incident and following established protocols.

The medical and contact tracing team is in the process of identifying and testing those who could have been exposed. While waiting for the test results, the student will be isolated and quarantined.

School officials said the students who hosted and attended the gathering will be held responsible for their actions and disciplined accordingly.

While Marist is making every attempt to respond quickly and limit the scope of the incident, out of an abundance of caution, the campus is being put on pause until further notice to allow time for contact tracing to ID, test and quarantine or isolate all involved.

The following temporary measures will be taken:

• Suspending all on- and off-campus activities
• Prohibiting all on- and off-campus gatherings, including parties
• Canceling all athletic team training sessions
• Closing the James J. McCann Recreation Center for the weekend
• Closing the campus to all visitors
• Parents should not visit the campus
• Moving all classes to remote on Friday and Saturday
• Prohibiting students from visiting non-assigned residence halls

School officials said the community will be updated on the status of the situation as soon as possible.