Siena sees coronavirus spike
College enacts further restrictions after latest round of testing
Colonie Siena College is restricting student activities and limiting visits to the campus after its surveillance testing program picked up a”concerning ” spike in coronavirus cases.
“Our COVID -19 surveillance testing program is, by design, identifying asymptomatic cases. By detecting asymptomatic cases — and isolating those individuals and quarantining close contacts — we lessen the threat of a campus spread. However, our surveillance figures are trending in a concerning direction,” Siena College President Chris Gibson wrote in a letter to the campus community.
There are currently 100 students being quarantined for 14 days for exposure to COVID -19 and 23 students are in isolation after testing positive for the
virus, according to the college COVID -19 data updated on Friday.
Some 40 Siena students have contracted the disease since the start of the semester, according to the most recent numbers.
The college has just 16 rooms set aside to quarantine students and has been sending home students who are confirmed to be infected or have been exposed. School officials say 2,200 of 3,000 Siena students have elected to live in the dorms this year.
Five students with the disease are currently isolated on campus, according to the state’s COVID -19 dashboard for New York colleges.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has advised colleges to keep students on campus when there is an outbreak, warning that sending them home could further the spread of disease.
Siena spokesman Jason Rich said the college is acting on advice from county health officials and notes there isn’t enough housing set aside for all of the students who need to be isolated or quarantined.
“We have enough housing capacity for students who can’t make it home,” Rich said.
Siena is also working with the Desmond Hotel to provide additional accommodations as necessary for students asked to quarantine who are unable to travel home.
Albany County Health Commissioner Elizabeth Whalen said that all local colleges have identified places where they can isolate and quarantine students if needed, but students and their families often choose to go home.
“When asked, we have provided recommendations consistent with Dr. Fauci’s,” Whalen said.
College officials say they don’t have the resources to test all students who have been exposed before they leave campus to quarantine.
“There is no way to test students before they are isolated,” he said.
Siena officials attribute the rise to an increase in surveillance testing in the last two weeks. The college’s surveillance testing program includes wastewater analysis, which guides random coronavirus tests of campus community members who have been in buildings where the virus has been detected.
On September 25, 2.4 percent of community members tested produced positive results. On Thursday, six of 140 tests, or 4.3 percent, came back positive. To flatten the curve of infection, the college announced new restrictions and has doubled the volume of its weekly surveillance testing.
Dining services will be limited to takeout and socially distanced outdoor seating only. All clubs and recreational activities will be conducted virtually.
Gatherings greater than 10 people will be prohibited; students may only attend Mass or class.
The campus will temporarily close to all visitors and students must stay within their own residence halls.
Siena’s athletic complex remains open for student use although capacity will be restricted further in some areas. Athletic teams may conduct individual and small group workouts as long as the gathering is limited to fewer than 10 total people.
Gibson noted that there were no serious cases on campus and no faculty or staff have tested positive for the virus and that there is no plan to close the campus.