ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — Augustana College held a COVID-19 press briefing days after it was announced Illinois Region 2, consisting largely of the Quad Cities area, enters new resurgence mitigations beginning Wednesday.
President Steve Bahls thanked the students for wearing their masks and using hand sanitizers on campus.
Since the start of the academic year in late August, there have been 75 confirmed cases of the coronavirus on campus, Dean of Students Dr. Wes Brooks said. Sixty-one of those cases were among students and 14 were among staff.
Brooks said the campus has been hovering at less than 1% positivity rate.
"This is a fluid situation," Brooks said. "Our work continues to grow and change each week. There are new wrinkles and new requests. We need everyone to remain vigilant. This is not a time to let up our efforts."
Brooks asked that group gatherings continue to be limited to 10 people or less and that college-sponsored activities are limited to 25 people. There are also visitor restrictions in the dorms and dining halls.
Keri Rursch, a spokeswoman for the college, announced a free 24/7 telehealth service for Augie students called "students.care." Rursch encouraged all students to register to receive the non-emergency mental and medical services.
