SUNY Orange students,

At this hour, this message is to update you further on the College’s response to COVID-19 and, in particular, Governor Andrew Cuomo’s announcements today regarding the entire SUNY system.

First and foremost, SUNY Orange will remain open and conduct operations as normal tomorrow (March 12) and Friday (March 13), pending any significant new developments. There have been rumors that Orange County has its first confirmed COVID-19 case. We have contacted Orange County and have been assured that there remain no confirmed COVID-19 cases involving Orange County residents. Regardless, anxiety is understandably high, so if you feel sick, please stay home. If you feel uncomfortable coming to class, please contact your professor.

SUNY has advised all campuses to implement plans that will maximize distance learning and reduce in-person classes, to the best extent possible based upon each campus’s individual situation, for the remainder of the Spring semester.

The College has been preparing for this eventuality, but today’s developments in Albany require us to further refine our plans and expectations for an alternative distance format. We will also be investigating how we’ll implement the Governor’s suggestion of an extended Spring Break. The Governor’s intent is to limit population “density” and we will do our best to accommodate his expectations.

As you can imagine, the complexities in responding to this virus are many. More information will be forthcoming tomorrow afternoon.

The SUNY Orange Wellness Center also recommends the following websites for additional information on the Coronavirus.

CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/index.html

NYS Department of Health: https://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/coronavirus/#_blank

Orange County Department of Health: https://www.orangecountygov.com/149/Health

SUNY: https://www.suny.edu/health-alert/