Child Development Center remains closed at MSU

COVID cases in Oktibbeha County have risen and as a result have led to Governor Tate Reeves putting in place a mask mandate for Oktibbeha County.

This is just one of the many precautions being made in the state, last week Mississippi State University announced the closure of its Child Development and Family Studies Center for testing. Michael E. Newman, director of MSU’S school of human sciences, had plans to return to work on December 3.

“At this point, we do not believe that any child has contracted the virus at our center and these measures are taken to continue to aggressively safeguard the children and their families,” Newman said. “We will continue to do everything in our power to keep everyone who utilizes our center as safe as humanly possible.”

Present conditions have resulted in the CDFSC to extend its temporary closure with a tentative reopening date of Wednesday, December 9. Originally the need to gain assurance that asymptomatic transmission of the COVID-19 virus was not occurring led to the closure.

Newman hoped to reopen the CDFSC this week, but discussions with medical staff at MSU’S John C. Longest Student Health Center led to the extended closure.

Center director Melissa L. Tenhet said “this step is a continued precaution for everyone due to the number of COVID-19 positive cases and the number of staff quarantined due to potential exposure.”

Tenhet said CDFSC leaders will follow up with the health center staff on December 8 before notifying parents of additional information at that time via email.