Update, March 21, 7:20 p.m.: According to NYU’s website, there are around 12 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the NYU community at this time.
Several NYU Community Members at Tisch School of the Arts have tested positive for COVID-19, according to an email sent on Saturday, March 21 by Tisch Dean Allyson Green.
“We have become aware that a few members of our community at 721 Broadway have tested positive for COVID-19, and we wanted to make you aware,” the email reads.
The Tisch statement did not specify how many people tested positive nor when they may have last been on campus.
Earlier this month, a student and a faculty member at NYU School of Law both tested positive. At time of publication, there were 5,683 cases of coronavirus in New York City.
The email stated that those who may have been in contact with the individuals were notified.
“While we believe that any exposure you may have had to these individuals is a very low-risk exposure, we want to share guidelines from the New York City Department of Health on steps you can take,” Green said in the email.
The email comes just as New York Governor Andrew Cuomo enacted an executive order called “New York on PAUSE” — an acronym for “Policies that Assure Uniform Safety for Everyone” — which closed all non-essential businesses and temporarily barred all non-essential gatherings.
The guidelines in the email also stressed that all New Yorkers are to exercise social distancing — the practice of staying home to prevent the spread of disease.
“All New Yorkers should consider themselves as possibly exposed to SARS-CoV-2 and must therefore self-monitor for COVID-19 like illness — especially those who have had close contact with a person with possible or confirmed COVID-19 and those who are healthcare workers,” the guidelines read.
An individual is considered in close contact if they reside in the same household as someone with COVID-19 or are their intimate partner or care-taker, according to the email.
“Close contacts should monitor their health at all times, but should be particularly vigilant for 14 days starting from the last time there was close contact with the person while they were ill,” the email reads.
Green stated that while the Tisch administration will continue to notify community members when new cases arise, they may be unable to circulate community-wide statements for each case.
“I’m so sorry to bring this news to you. I know this is a stressful time for everyone, and I hope you will let us know how we can help you,” the email read. “Later today, I’ll be writing with additional updates.“
Dean Green did not respond to WSN’s request for comment at time of publication.
This is a developing news story and will be updated as WSN learns more.
Email Lisa Cochran at [email protected]
