COVID-19 College Update

Over the weekend, several government agencies held a press conference to update the public regarding a confirmed case of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) in/near the Omaha metro area. As part of that update, they indicated that the person affected participated in an event in Fremont, Nebraska and may have had contact with people in attendance. Click here to read the full press release. If you believe you may have come in contact with individuals in attendance or a person affected with COVID-19, we encourage you to follow the advice of our local government officials and in addition, contact your program/department director to inform the College.

Clarkson College continues to work on a response plan in conjunction with our colleagues at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) and Nebraska Medicine. We are working together to ensure that we are prepared if a COVID-19 outbreak occurs within our College campus as UNMC and Nebraska Medicine are located only two blocks away.  Specific protocols may include social distancing measures such as the cancelation of large activities and gatherings and extended school closures to protect against the spread of the illness.  

As the situation remains fluid, please note there are no immediate plans for short-term or extended closure of Clarkson College. However, we are sharing this information with an abundance of caution so that our College community continues to be informed and has ample time to prepare should the need arise. We will continue to monitor the situation and communicate pertinent updates. If necessary, we may have to implement temporary alternative learning plans for students.  

If you or anyone in your household is traveling outside the country for spring break, we would encourage you to check if there are extra precautions you need to take. The travel advisory list is continually changing, so we are encouraging all students, faculty and staff to self-report and check what precautionary steps need to be taken. Please take this extra step to help keep all of our students, faculty, staff and families healthy and safe!

To self report, visit http://bit.ly/COVID-19SelfReport  

OR

Call the Douglas County Health Department at 402.444.7471 or the Sarpy/Cass County Health Department at 402.537.6970. 

How is Clarkson College preparing?

  • Working closely with the Nebraska Medicine and UNMC Unified Command Group creating specific plans for a COVID-19 outbreak.
  • Monitoring the CDC guidelines and working closely with the local Health Departments.
  • Increasing cleaning by disinfecting high-touch areas (door handles, light switches) multiple times a day. Cleaning desktops and surface areas each evening.
  • Encouraging students, faculty and staff to stay home if they are sick.
  • Developing a contingency plan if we need to limit large gatherings, adapting in-person classes to online learning and determining the final trigger to closing campus.
  • Updating our College pandemic plan.

For additional information about COVID-19: 

As always, you are your best advocate, and we encourage you to make decisions based on what you think is best for you. Please take care of yourself, know the signs of COVID-19 and be in contact with your health care professionals and Clarkson College if you become symptomatic.

Let’s continue to work together to help mitigate any health risks to our community. Thank you for your ongoing support during this unique and challenging time.