In Brief – Two more SUNY New Paltz students have tested positive for COVID-19, the university announced Sunday night.
Both were “close contacts” of SUNY New Paltz’s first confirmed case, according to the university.
That student, who lived in a campus dorm, took a voluntary on-campus test the week of August 17 and received the positive result August 27, after which SUNY New Paltz mandated COVID-19 testing for all students in dorms or taking in-person classes.
At least a dozen other students who had contact with the first infected student have been tested and are in quarantine waiting on test results. The 12 students played outdoor basketball games with the infected student in Tony Williams Park in Highland, about 10 minutes off campus, on August 24 at 6 a.m. and August 26 at 7 a.m., according to the university.
Contract tracers are in the process of interviewing the dozen students. The university will notify any students taking in-person classes with an infected student, but the university only requires a quarantine if the student has been within six feet of an infected student without a mask for more than 10 minutes.
Quarantined students are being housed in Awosting Hall, which was set aside for this purpose as part of the campus’ mitigation plan.
Though SUNY New Paltz has mandated students in dorms and taking in-person classes be tested, these tests could take a month. About 2,000 students are living in the dorms.
The Other Hudson Valley 