Weekly Testing Update - November 5, 2020

Dear FSU Community,

Our latest data from Tuesday, Nov. 3, resulted in six positives out of a total of 758 tests administered. The positive individuals are now in isolation and contact tracing began yesterday to identify and quarantine all close contacts. Our complete results can be found on our COVID19 Dashboard.

This is our first instance of more than two positive cases in one week since early September and it drives home just how vigilant we all need to be to make it through these colder months without increasing COVID cases. We have identified many close contacts, in part because students are gathering in groups in one another's rooms without masks. This needs to stop.

Students also need to make sure they are contacting the Health Center (508-626-4900) if they are experiencing any symptoms that could be COVID-19 which can be very mild. These include nasal congestion or discharge, sore throat, fever, difficulty breathing, body aches, headache, chills, allergy symptoms, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or loss of taste or smell. Some of the individuals who tested positive this week were experiencing unreported symptoms because they thought it was just a cold or allergies.

Please keep wearing your face coverings, practice social distancing and good hygiene, and monitor your health for symptoms daily.

The Baker Administration has announced new targeted measures aimed at combatting the steady rise of COVID19 cases across Massachusetts. These measures go into effect on Friday, Nov. 6th, and include:

  • A Stay At Home Advisory instructing residents to stay home between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. The Advisory allows for activities such as going to work, running critical errands to get groceries and address health needs, and taking a walk. It also requires certain businesses and activities to close at 9:30 p.m. each night so that people can get home by 10 p.m. Therefore, starting tomorrow, from 9:30 p.m. until closing, all orders at the Ram's Den Grille and Sandella's must be placed on the Dining Services Mobile Ordering App and no in-seat dining will be available. More information, including additional changes to hours of operation for Dining Services, can be found here.
  • An updated face covering order requiring people to wear face coverings in public places, even when social distancing from others.
  • A new gatherings order reduces the size for indoor gatherings at private residences to a limit of 10 people and outdoor gatherings at private residences to a limit of 25 people. All gatherings, regardless of size, must disperse by 9:30 p.m. The gatherings order authorizes continued enforcement by local health and police departments and specifies that fines for violating the gathering order will be $500 for each person above the limit at a particular gathering.

Let's all make sure we are complying with these new measures and help keep cases down in our community.

Stay safe,

Javier