By Jordan J. Phelan
[email protected]
CLAREMONT — Students enrolled at River Valley Community College (RVCC) were notified that all classes and off-site clinicals were cancelled on Monday after one of its instructors was discovered to have an indirect link to an individual currently being tested for the novel coronavirus COVID-19.
For approximately three hours the following message was pinned to the top of the college’s website: “All RVCC Campuses will be closing immediately today, March 3. All classes and off-site clinicals are cancelled.” An official reason was offered at 11:45 a.m. by mass email message — known as a RAVE Alert — which explained that campuses in Claremont, Keene and Lebanon were declared closed as a matter of caution as the administration consults with the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (NHDHHS).
The decision to cancel classes and other academic activities on all campuses came after consultation with President Alfred Williams, Chancellor Ross Gittell and fellow members of the administration.
Officials at the college say the instructor was at the Claremont campus.
According to a news release issued by River Valley Community College, NHDHHS officials have determined that there is no reason to be concerned at this time.
“Earlier today we cancelled day and evening classes at River Valley Community College because we became aware of a potential tertiary exposure of one of our instructors to a person outside the college community who is being tested for COVID-19 (Coronavirus),” the press release states. Tertiary exposure means that the employee was in contact with someone at least two people removed from the person being tested. The individual being tested for COVID-19 is not a member of the college community.
The employee will remain off campus for 14 days — the time needed for symptoms of COVID-19 to present themselves — or upon earlier determination by the state’s health department that there is no risk.
River Valley Community College’s three campuses will reopen on Wednesday, according to Williams.
Administrative officials at River Valley Community College encourage all members of the community to follow the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the NHDHHS as a matter of standard precaution.
Williams also said that students who feel sick should remain home and that faculty should remind students the importance of following CDC guidelines at this time.
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