College community,

SUNY Orange continues to monitor the circumstances surrounding the spread of the COVID-19 virus. As you know, any response related to COVID-19 is both complex and far-reaching. The College’s Emergency Management Team is considering all options and it is important to note that decisions are being made with the best information available at the time; but as we are seeing, information, and the potential decisions that accompany that data, is sometimes changing at a moment’s notice.

Last week we shared that we had increased the number of available hand-sanitizing stations and increased our ability to provide hot water more quickly in restrooms. We have posted signage on both campuses highlighting the importance of hand-washing and other preventative measures. We are also stocking hand wipes, as available, in our libraries and computer labs, but supplies of many disinfecting products are becoming harder and harder to acquire. As you notice supplies in the soap and hand-sanitizing dispensers are exhausted, or if hot water does not flow through a faucet, please notify Facilities (845-341-4600). Your assistance in keeping Facilities informed regarding outages and breakdowns helps with our shared responsibilities at this crucial time.

Our Facilities staff is doing its best to clean our buildings and classrooms nightly, and we are conducting more thorough disinfecting on Saturdays. A deep cleaning of both campuses is planned for the week of Spring Break. Between nightly cleanings, employees can help by taking individual responsibility for cleaning your work space, as needed, and distancing yourself from others.

The EMT is monitoring travel bans and other information that may impact students and employees who are scheduled to be away from campus in the weeks after Spring Break. We expect to receive more guidance in the coming days regarding travel, at which time we'll share it with you.

In the event that the College might need to close for any period of time, the Academic Affairs leadership has developed, and distributed to faculty, an instructional continuity plan as a framework for meeting our educational and accreditation obligations. One element of that plan includes the creation of a Blackboard shell for each course, and the availability of faculty training on Blackboard and Zoom.

Our Wellness Center (845-341-4870) staff is collaborating with the Orange County Department of Health, so please feel free to use both entities as a resource for the latest information. We continue to receive regular updates from SUNY System Administration as well.

We have developed a COVID-19 webpage that will compile all of our communications to the College community; links to key local, state and national health organizations; telephone hotline numbers; and other critical College-related information related to our COVID-19 response. There you can also find a link to a video Dr. Young shared on social media.

Please remember, if you feel sick and have symptoms of a virus, you should stay home and contact your doctor or healthcare provider. Do not go to your doctor or urgent care without calling first. They can direct you on the proper way to visit their office or how best to address your symptoms at home if they are mild.

Finally, our Information Technology Services team has learned of a series of Coronavirus phishing scams that are circulating in cyberspace. The College community is reminded to use trusted sources for COVID-19 information and updates. More information can be found at https://www.infosecinstitute.com/blog/top-7-coronavirus-phishing-scams-making-the-rounds/.