DE PERE, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – According to a recent New York Times survey, over 10,000 COVID-19 cases in Wisconsin are in colleges.
Wisconsin continues to see near-record levels of coronavirus activity and it comes at a time as students get ready to return home for the holidays.
St. Norbert College students will be heading home for Thanksgiving and they won’t be coming back until February.
St. Norbert Interim Vice President for Student Affairs Julie Massey tells FOX 11 Saint Nobert is preparing students for a safe return home.
“We communicated with students and really encourage them to be aware of the fact that they were if you will at that time about one incubation cycle away from going home to their friends and family and loved ones at home. We asked them to really start making decisions with the safety not just of our college community in mind but with the safety of those who they love at home.”
She says this school year started a bit differently than others.
“We started our academic semester for the fall semester a week earlier than it would’ve normally started and that was in part to shift the end of the semester. So we knew that we did not want to be sending students home for Thanksgiving and then quickly having them return.”
In February, when students return, she expects students to come back to campus healthy.
“Certainly wanting to ensure that students come back without COVID is an important concern for us here at the college and for the wider community.”
Brown County Public Health Strategist Claire Paprocki tells FOX 11 there are steps students on all college campuses can take to stop the spread.
“Quarantining, washing your hands, not sharing the same bathroom, making sure you monitor your actions and your symptoms when you come home and if you do start to feel sick or you do develop symptoms at any point that you have the resources and know the appropriate next steps to take by isolating yourself from the rest of your family,” Paprocki said.
She offers this reminder to anyone celebrating the holidays this year: “It’s about survival, not tradition.”
