Eight people at the University — four staff members and four students — have self-reported COVID-19 cases to University Health Service, according to the University’s Coronavirus Update website.
None of these people are still on campus, the page says, which was last updated on April 23. This number also doesn’t include University community members who were diagnosed with COVID-19 after being home for two or more weeks.
UR President Sarah Mangelsdorf announced that degrees for graduating seniors will be conferred through an online ceremony on May 15 in a letter to students. An official Commencement ceremony for 2020 graduates will be held when it is safe to do so, Mangelsdorf wrote. She also mentioned the 99 students from the School of Medicine and Dentistry who graduated early in order to fight COVID-19. “While this is not the graduation you expected, you have worked very hard to prepare for this moment,” she wrote, later adding, “In the face of so many challenges, you continue to make us all so proud.”
In compliance with Governor Andrew Cuomo’s executive order, the University has mandated that everyone remaining on campus wear a mask whenever they leave their dorms or break social distancing, “including times of brief interaction between co-workers or friends.”
Both surgical masks and cloth masks are acceptable. Masks will be provided to University employees, including student employees, by their managers. Free surgical masks are available to students with University ID at the following locations:
- Wilson Commons porch, April 18 – May 1, 3-7 p.m. (Hirst Lounge in bad weather)
- Eastman Student Living Center entrance, April 26 and 29, 3-5 p.m.
- University Park, April 26 – 27, 3-5 p.m. outside unit 507 (Community room in 507 in bad weather)
There are 1,296 reported cases of COVID-19 in Monroe County, with 108 deaths. 19 of these cases and two deaths were reported between April 26 at 4 p.m. and April 27 at 4 p.m.
601 of these cases are confirmed recovered, and 100 are hospitalized, with 21 in the intensive care unit. 618 are under mandatory quarantine, and 275 are under mandatory isolation.
Monroe County golf courses have been reopened, as they are now allowed to do so according to an executive order by Governor Cuomo. There have been some changes to golf course operations to facilitate social distancing. All tee time reservations must now be made online, all club facilities are closed, and intervals between tee times have been changed from eight to 10 minutes to allow time to follow social distancing protocols.
Monroe County Executive Adam Bello launched the “Take 5 Monroe” campaign on April 22. The campaign is dedicated to promoting positivity as a way to help people navigate the stress of the pandemic.
“As the pandemic continues to impact our daily lives in ways large and small, people may feel anxious, fearful, or confused,” Bello said in a release regarding the campaign. “I want people to realize that they have the power to make a huge difference in someone else’s life. We should all make a concerted effort to stay connected and do what we can to uplift each other.”
In response to an April 20 Democrat and Chronicle article reporting at least seven deaths at the Hurlbut Nursing and Rehabilitation facility (a number which did not match the deaths in a New York State Department of Health report the previous week), Commissioner of Public Health Michael Mendoza on April 21 authorized an investigation by the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) into the accuracy of the Hurlbut’s reporting of COVID-19 cases and casualties at the facility.
“The outbreak of this virus has prohibited family and loved ones from visiting our most vulnerable during this time of crisis,” he wrote in a letter to NYSDOH Commissioner Howard Sucker, “causing an unbearable stress on everyone involved. I do not believe that this perceived misinformation by the Hurlbut is the proper message we should be sending to the residents of our community at this time.”
