Frostburg State University to Resume Blended Classes on Thursday, Nov. 5

For Immediate Release
Nov. 2, 2020 

 Frostburg State University to Resume Blended Classes on Thursday, Nov. 5 

Frostburg State University, after a review of testing numbers from the two-week period, recent symptomatic cases monitored by Brady Health Center and related indicators FSU is monitoring, announced it will resume the in-person sessions of blended classes on Thursday, Nov. 5 at 8 a.m. Approximately 70% of classes feature a mix of online and in-person while the remaining 30% are entirely online.  

The Cordts P.E. Center and Lane University Centers activity areas will also reopen.  

The Pandemic Response Team concluded after reviewing our two-week data reporting as well as symptomatic and self-reported testing over that period that the uptick in symptomatic self-reporting individuals stemmed from clusters of socially intertwined individuals and was not campus-wide. The University continues to monitor indicators that include incidence and prevalence, positivity rate, case clustering from contact tracing, regional healthcare preparedness, testing capacity, health center capacity, quarantine/isolation capacity, adherence to public health protective factors, wastewater testing, local conditions and state conditions. 

Our positivity rate of FSU-administered tests for last week (3.48% for the week) remains lower in comparison to our local community. These are just two of multiple data points we are monitoring. While our FSU-administered testing continues to test below the county’s positivity rate, any increase in cases in our county and among the FSU community is a trend we are watching closely as we determine if further response or additional measures are warranted. An initial spike in this trend is why the institution, in an abundance of caution, paused in person instruction last week.  

To further confirm current data, FSU has added an additional surveillance testing this Wednesday, Nov. 4.  

FSU continues to emphasis that individual precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 – wearing a face mask in all interactions with others, remaining socially distanced (6 feet) from any other person and frequent hand-washing – must continue. Daily use of the online check-in, www.frostburg.edu/checkin, is required of anyone on campus.   

Bi-weekly testing data will be reported on Tuesday, Nov. 3, as scheduled. 

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