After a stretch of very few COVID-19 cases on campus, 12 new positive tests were reported by students on Monday and Tuesday this week, up from four last week. Cases are also climbing in Knox County, although, like 88% of counties across the U.S., Knox remains at the Low COVID-19 Community Level, according to the CDC.
A rise in cases is the last thing any of us need during exams or leading into senior week, but we all know what we need to do to remain COVID-aware and protect ourselves and others in the community. Check yourself for symptoms daily, and consider wearing a mask or moving outdoors when you are gathering with others. If you are feeling sick or know that you have been exposed to COVID, limit your contact with others, wear a mask, test when appropriate, and make sure to put your own recovery first. Surgical masks continue to be available in Peirce Hall, and high-quality KN95 masks are available for students at the Campus Safety office. For students that need to test, both rapid antigen and PCR tests remain available at the Campus Mail Center in Gund Commons. Any student who tests positive is required to report their result to Health Services at health@kenyon.edu and employees who test positive should reach out to Human Resources at hr@kenyon.edu
Over the next two weeks, we encourage everyone to take the necessary steps to safely welcome families to campus to celebrate Kenyon’s 2022 and 2020 graduates as well as our alumni returning for Reunion Weekend. For folks coming to Gambier, we encourage you to test before traveling to campus. Once on campus, we will have masks available at most campus events, and we will continue to monitor local conditions and provide up-to-date information on the COVID-19 Dashboard so that everyone can make responsible choices to protect themselves and others.
Drew Kerkhoff
Chair, COVID-19 Steering Committee
Associate Provost and Professor of Biology