A team from Health Services, the President’s Office and Lisa McPheron Director of Campus Communications at Fullerton College has been closely following pertinent information pertaining to Novel Coronavirus 2019 (COUVID-19). COVID-19 is a respiratory illness caused by a new virus that currently has no vaccine to prevent the illness.
“Our college leadership and distance education director are actively engaged in instruction continuity planning related to COVID-19. Every course section at Fullerton College has a Canvas course shell, which provides an opportunity for distance learning. A Rapid Remote Teaching Canvas Course is being developed for faculty to provide detailed guidance to help them move their instruction online under drastic circumstances,” said McPheron.
She further explains, Instructional Continuity refers to the campus effort to proceed with course work during disruptions due to weather, illness, or other factors. Strategies for Instructional Continuity include:
- Making plans for communication with students.
- Considering potential adjustments to assignments.
- Implementing technologies such as online audio and video collaboration, lecture capture, or discussion boards.
Transmission of coronavirus, in general, occurs much more commonly through respiratory droplets than through fomites. Cleaning of visibly dirty surfaces followed by disinfection is a best practice measure for prevention of COVID-19 and other viral respiratory illnesses in community settings.
There are many precautions available to the public in order to protect from possible exposure and or transmission of COVID-19. News from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leading national public health institute of United States claims, “Based on what is currently known about the virus, spread from person-to-person happens most frequently among close contacts (within about 6 feet).”
The CDC recommends the public to:
- Take precautions and wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If there are no water and soap resources you may use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Stay home when you are sick.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw it in the trash.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
Local Universities such as Cal State Fullerton are also taking preventative measures. A message from the Division of Student Affairs, Student Wellness informs, “Campus administrators and staff are monitoring this situation and following the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as well as State of California and Orange County public health officials.”
More importantly, the CDC has determined that individuals who have only casual contact with someone who is contagious with the new coronavirus are at minimal risk for developing an infection. If you have not been to Wuhan, China, or been in close contact with someone who has been to Wuhan and is sick, your risk of becoming ill is very low.
A list of resources containing a plethora of information about COVID-19 can be found on the State Chancellor’s Office website listed below.
A link to the CDC website containing information about COVID-19 may be found below.
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
Here’s a link to an updated memo from President Schulz addressed to the college.
