Special to Iredell Free News
Mitchell Community College administrators are working with local and state health officials to monitor the current COVID-19 (coronavirus) situation. The college said in a news release that its No. 1 priority is always the safety and health of its students and employees.
Out of an abundance of caution, the college will extend Spring Break for all students through March 22.
Isolated Continuing Education/workforce development training courses and programs that were exempt from Spring Break (March 9-15) will continue as scheduled at this time. Students in these courses should contact their instructors for further information.
During this extended break for students, college officials will take actions that promote social distancing while maintaining operations and services for our students and community.
Mitchell is not closing at this time, but all campus events and group gatherings are cancelled until further notice.
Faculty and staff should report for normal work hours on Monday, March 16, and check Mitchell email for additional information and instructions.
Illness and Self-Quarantine Information
As with any illness, we ask students and employees to stay home if they experience a fever (100°F or greater), vomiting and/or diarrhea.
In addition, the College is following the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) guidelines for self-quarantine. Self-quarantine is a precautionary measure that individuals should take if they have been, or have strong reason to believe they have potentially been, exposed to a contagious disease, such as COVID-19. Self-quarantine for the coronavirus should last 14 days.
You should self-quarantine if you:
♦ You recently returned from any country with a Level-2 or Level-3 warning from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC);
♦ You have travelled internationally or domestically to an area with high numbers of positive or presumptive positive COVID-19 cases;
♦ You have been in close contact with anyone who has traveled to one of these areas; or
♦ You have been in close contact with anyone who has been ordered to quarantine because of exposure to the virus.
If you believe you have unique personal circumstances that have put you at risk for contracting the virus, you should self-quarantine. Faculty and supervisors have been directed to provide maximum flexibility to students and employees during this time.
Due to the variety of courses and trainings at Mitchell, students are advised to communicate directly with their instructors for specific instructions pertaining to their class(es).
Updates
The College will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as needed. An official update will be made at or before Friday, March 20, at noon.
Changes to College operations will be communicated through Mitchell’s Emergency Notification System, on the Mitchell Website, on Mitchell social media channels, and through local media outlets.