黑料视频 to resume in-person classes
Students adhering to wearing face masks, social distancing and limited gatherings credited for the success.
Joined by SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras, 黑料视频 President Harvey Stenger today announced that the University will resume in-person classes Thursday, Oct. 22, after a two-week pause.
鈥淎ll of us at Binghamton can be proud of what we have accomplished,鈥 Stenger said. 鈥淲e have been successful because everyone did their part, something that typifies a campus that comes together to solve challenges.鈥
Stenger also thanked the staff who are ensuring that our surveillance testing center in Old Union Hall operates at peak efficiency, as well as Richard Moose, MD, medical director at Decker Student Health Services Center and his staff for handling diagnostic testing. 鈥淭hey are looking after our students鈥 health,鈥 he said, noting that 787 individuals had been tested the previous day, with only one positive result.
鈥淚 applaud the campus community. They took a pause and kept doing the right thing,鈥 Malatras said. 鈥淭here were a lot of sacrifices. I know it was tough to do this and that staying on campus is not the easiest thing to do, but we don鈥檛 want to spread the virus, so we appreciate everything students have done over the last two weeks.鈥
Binghamton鈥檚 positive percentage stands at .54% today, and that鈥檚 something most places would be thrilled with in this environment, Malatras added. 鈥淭he campus is lower than the surrounding community. It鈥檚 a great day to have one of our campuses like Binghamton be fully reopened to the pre-paused levels.鈥
Binghamton ramped up its testing during the pause and is now testing about 800 individuals each weekday. More than 16,000 tests have been analyzed since the start of the semester.
鈥淚t is a great day and I note the enthusiasm and excitement in President Stenger鈥檚 voice and I share that,鈥 Malatras added. 鈥淲e鈥檒l continue to keep doing everything we can working together.鈥
Broome County Executive Jason Garnar spoke of the great example the University set by being proactive and doing the right things to flatten the curve. 鈥満诹鲜悠 stepped up and we鈥檝e asked Broome County residents to do their part and stay home,鈥 he said. 鈥満诹鲜悠 wanted to find out where the positives were and isolate those and that is exactly the right way to attack this and what we need to do in Broome County. Take this approach, social distance, wear a mask and stay home, and we, too, can be under 1% in a few weeks.鈥
The University is not seeing any difference in infection rates between on- and off-campus students, Stenger said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e very similar. Once you find where someone is positive, you can start testing in that area to get them out of circulation so we can slow the spread.
Stenger added that keeping students on campus during the pause was the right thing to do. 鈥淲e were very clear when we went on pause that you cannot go home and if you do, you can鈥檛 come back,鈥 he said. 鈥淭o not restrict movement during this time would have been a mistake. We did not have many who left and weren鈥檛 coming back. Most students wanted to stay here and didn鈥檛 want to go home.
鈥淎nd now, If you don鈥檛 absolutely have to go someplace, don鈥檛 go,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e all know that wearing masks and social distancing work.鈥
Malatras echoed Stenger鈥檚 statement: 鈥淚f we have a problem on our campuses, we don鈥檛 want students to bring that home. Our SUNY students are stepping up in a big way to protest their campuses and the larger communities where they鈥檙e from. Students here deserve the credit for staying here.鈥
The University begins its next two-week period Saturday, Oct. 24, Stenger said, and will need to remain under the 100 positive number to remain in person. 鈥淚f we stay well under 100, which I鈥檓 confident about, we will stay in person,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e have two 2-week periods left. I think we鈥檝e figured it out and students know how we can stay at this level. Students have to recognize that this is not the time to go to a restaurant or to the mall to go shopping. This is the time to stay in and not travel.鈥
All activities and events that had been put on pause will resume effective Oct. 22. Dining halls will reopen, though the number of tables in the dining halls may be further reduced, Stenger said, to limit students sitting together with face masks off.