NYU Approaches NY State Positive Case Threshold, Will Continue In-Person Instruction
84 positive cases have been counted during the latest 14-day testing period.
Despite approaching the 14-day COVID-19 positive case threshold set in place by Gov. Cuomo, NYU will not switch to remote instruction for two weeks, according to an email sent to students on Tuesday.
As of Tuesday morning, NYU’s testing dashboard reports 84 positive cases and a 0.5% positivity rate at the Washington Square Campus. These numbers reflect data collected from Sept. 26 to Oct. 9; the NY State testing period will come to an end on Friday.
If the NYU community reaches over 100 positive cases or if the number of cases equal 5% of the population during the period, the university must transition to remote learning for at least two weeks. Gov. Cuomo announced the statewide mandate in August.
NYU has been in contact with NY State, according to the email, who advised them to continue instruction as they have been. There will be no transition to remote learning or any changes in operations based on this testing period’s numbers.
“Based on our overall conditions — primarily our low positivity rate, which is significantly lower than the area surrounding the school, and the robust program of testing — the State has advised that at this point we should continue to carry on as we have been, and do not at this point have to pivot to remote instruction,” NYU administrators wrote.
The email said that NYU will continue to be in touch with the State, and will relay any changes in guidance to the NYU community promptly.
“If there is a change, you will hear from the COVID-19 Prevention & Response Team, the Provost’s Office, or your dean’s office with specifics about what changes are to be put in place,” administrators wrote.
The email also mentioned that should the university switch to remote operations, schools and faculty should be prepared.
“We want [the transition to remote learning] to be smooth and orderly,” administrators wrote. “So, while we continue to move forward as we have been, it is nonetheless prudent for schools and individual faculty to be thinking ahead about how they would respond to a transition to remote instruction.”
