SUNY Orange students,

SUNY Orange continues to monitor the circumstances surrounding the spread of the COVID-19 virus. As you might expect, 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 information, 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.

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, students can help by practicing sound preventative habits to limit the spread of germs, and by keeping your work and study areas as clean as possible. As you find supplies in the soap and hand-sanitizing dispensers are exhausted, or if hot water does not flow through a faucet, please notify our Facilities office (845-341-4600). Your assistance in keeping Facilities informed regarding outages and breakdowns helps with our shared responsibilities at this crucial time.

The College is monitoring travel bans and other information that may impact students who are scheduled to attend off-campus activities 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.

The College is preparing plans for faculty and students to continue teaching and learning in the event that we need to close for any period of time.

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 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 last week.

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. You can find such sources on our COVID-19 webpage. More information can be found at https://www.infosecinstitute.com/blog/top-7-coronavirus-phishing-scams-making-the-rounds/