Weekly COVID-19 Briefing 10/2/20

Oct 2, 2020

Face Coverings, Social Distancing, and Eating

We all need to eat to be healthy, but how we eat could put ourselves and others at risk for COVID transmission.  Obviously wearing a mask while eating isn’t possible, so it is important to leverage other COVID prevention practices to keep you and your dining companions safe and healthy:

1)      Your body produces more saliva, and therefore more vapor droplets, when you are eating.  It is important to be a minimum of six feet away from your dining partner to keep your droplets off them and theirs off you.  Best practice is a full 10-15 feet of separation to reduce droplet sharing.

2)      If you can only distance yourself by the minimum six feet between you and your lunch pal, make sure you don’t sit directly across from each other.  Sit diagonally from your friend to give each other the most distance possible.

3)      If you are not actively eating, put your mask back on.  We all love meal time conversation, so take a break while you’re eating to put your mask back in place while socializing with friends.

4)      What would college be without deep conversation over good coffee?  Use a straw under your mask when visiting, allowing you to enjoy that vente mocha chino and the company of your friend while promoting your health and theirs.

The care you take of yourself and your friends in the small things can equal big health success for our community as we strive to meet our Thanksgiving finish line.

The Flu and You

Flu season is coming upon us soon!  Did you know every student engaged in in-person learning in Massachusetts must have a flu shot by December 31, 2020.  Be watching your ENC email for more information on flu shot availability including an on-campus flu clinic.  Stay tuned!

Employee Symptom Screening Application Launched

Last week employees received an email notification to download the ProtectWell daily symptom screenings app.  Please down load the app and complete the daily screening no more than two hours before arriving at work.  Today, Human Resources sent out a frequently ask questions email to help you with technical issues or question you have related to the application.  If you need further assistance please inquire with Human Resources.

All employees must show their ProtectWell cleared screen in order to enter common spaces on campus such as the Dining Hall, Nease Library, Chapel, and all ENC sponsored events.  Thanks for taking 30 seconds every day to help keep our community healthy.

Travel Restrictions

Remember (students and employees) you should eliminate non-essential travel to high-risk states and international locations in compliance with the Governor’s Travel Order.

If you must travel to a high-risk state, you must notify residence life (complete the Travel Form – if a campus resident, including Young and Munro GAs and renters) or your supervisor (if an employee) of your trip so a re-entry plan can be established that complies with the Massachusetts Order.

Please note that a re-entry plan must be established prior to departure.  If you do not have a re-entry plan established, do not return to campus and contact Health Services during regular business hours Monday-Friday at (617) 745-3893 to arrange your re-entry.

Not complying with the Massachusetts Travel Order could result in a $500 fine.

Testing Update

Thanks for your flexibility this week as we on-boarded some new staff to the testing center.  Testing will be operating full days next Monday – Thursday.

To view the status of testing and recovery please visit the testing dash board at: https://enc.edu/covid-19-campus-testing/

The dash board is updated every Friday by 5 PM.

Online Resources

The College continues to maintain an active website with timely information related to COVID-19 and institutional response.  This informative site can be found at: https://enc.edu/fall-2020-reopening-plans/

Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire ENC family across the world as we navigate these trying times.  Above all we are grateful for a God who is present in our daily lives and who demonstrates to us how to love and live.

Blessings to you on behalf of the Emergency Response Team,

Jeffrey Kirksey
Vice President for Student Life and Campus Services

23 East Elm Avenue
Quincy, MA 02170-2999
www.enc.edu
617-745-3718

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