Paine College campus closing Monday due to COVID-19 outbreak – WJBF-TV

AUGUSTA (WJBF) Out of an abundance of caution, Paine College chose to close Monday due to a high number of positive COVID-19 cases.

About 250 students attend the historically Black, Methodist college.

No word on how many people are affected by the coronavirus or what protocol is in place to try and stop the spread.

According to a spokesperson for Paine College, We are conducting campus wide testing and contract racing [Monday] and through [Tuesday]. Once we have all the data, we will be able to determine when to return to normal operations.

You can read their official statement below:

Dr. Cheryl Evans Jones, President, announced today that out of an abundance of caution and due to a number of recently confirmed COVID-19 cases among the student population, the Paine College campus is temporarily closed in the interest of safety.

This temporary closure will allow for accurate and thorough contact tracing, sanitizing, and testing to prevent the spread of the virus.

All in-person classeswill transition to online and virtual formats. Staff members are working remotely; however, some staff may be required to be on campus to perform essential duties.

Faculty, staff, and students are encouraged to follow the campus guidelines, wear masks, and practice hygiene protocols to help mitigate the spread of the virus.

It is expected that normal operations will resume shortly.

This is a developing story.

Go here to read the rest:

Paine College campus closing Monday due to COVID-19 outbreak - WJBF-TV