Heather Bell
RADFORD – The effect of the COVID 19 strain of coronovirus continues to grow in the New River Valley, with Radford University, Virginia Tech and New River Community College closing campuses to students, Carilion NRV hospital restricting visitors, and events scheduled throughout the New River Valley canceled or postponed.
As of press time, Radford City Public Schools is still set to return from spring break this Monday, Mar. 16. A message to the school community Thursday from Superintendent Robert Graham indicated the situation would be further evaluated at a meeting of the school division’s emergency team set for Friday afternoon.
On Wednesday, Radford University and Virginia Tech decided to extend spring break for students by one week, and then move to an on-line format for classes for the time being. For RU, classes will be on-line until at least April 17.
“For students, Spring Break will be continued for March 16 – 20, 2020 and online classes will begin on March 23, 2020. The online delivery of course material will continue through April 17, 2020, at which time this evolving matter will be evaluated,” the university’s statement reads. “Throughout this period, teaching and research faculty should report to campus. Teaching and research faculty will return to campus for the week of March 16, 2020 with the purpose of transitioning all in-person course content to an online format. From March 16 through April 17, students “are strongly encouraged to return to and/or remain at their permanent residence. On-campus residence halls and off-campus apartments will remain closed.”
Also, the university “will not permit any large-scale gatherings and/or meetings with more than 75 attendees. The Student Recreation and Wellness Center will be closed and dining operations will be modified.
Effective immediately, “all non-essential travel to domestic and international locations will not be permitted through April 17, and “students, faculty, and staff, who traveled over Spring Break, will be encouraged to complete a voluntary travel declaration form.”
“This information will be held as part of an educational record for students and a personnel record for faculty and staff, and will be shared with local health officials as needed on a caseby-case basis. For those who traveled, the University may ask individuals to self-monitor or self-isolate for two weeks depending upon the locations that were visited and the activities that were engaged in.”
“The actions taken by the University are out of an abundance of caution for our campus and our community,” said Radford University President Brian O. Hemphill, Ph.D. “The health, well-being, and safety of all members of the Radford family are of the utmost importance.”
New River Community College released a similar statement on Thursday.
“In light of the situation with the coronavirus (COVID-19), New River Community College is extending spring break for students by an additional week. The college is currently on a one-week break, and classes were originally scheduled to resume Monday, Mar. 16,” reads the statement.
“College offices will remain open next week. Faculty and staff will make preparations during that time for possible additional measures such as shifting all instruction to online, implementing a hybrid approach or taking other actions for which a need may be determined. College officials will continue to monitor the situation in cooperation with public health agencies.”
On Thursday night, Carilion Clinic announced it will implement visitor restrictions for all its hospitals “out of an abundance of caution” beginning at 8 a.m. on Friday.
“Carilion’s top priority is the safety and well-being of its patients and staff,” according to the statement released Thursday. Visitor restrictions are as follows:
Main entrances to all Carilion hospitals will remain open. All other entrances will be closed.
No visitors under the age of 18 will be permitted on-site.
No visitors will be permitted for inpatient psychiatric and behavioral health patients due to the communal nature of the visiting areas on those units.
Patients will be limited to one visitor, excluding pediatric patients who are able to have up to two visitors.
Visitors with flu-like symptoms (cough, congestion, runny nose, fever, etc.), must refrain from visiting patients at the hospital.
These restrictions act as social distancing measures, minimizing the spread of germs. Please consider other ways to connect with patients remotely, through technologies like Facetime and Skype.
“As the situation evolves, Carilion continues to monitor potential needs and considerations for additional restrictions. To stay updated on Carilion’s coronavirus response, go to CarilionClinic.org/coronavirus.”