Oct. 21, 2020
CWU Identifies Eight New COVID-19 Cases Through Residence Hall Testing
Central Washington University and the Kittitas County Public Health Department (KCPHD) tested 169 students and staff for COVID-19 earlier this week, resulting in positive results for the virus.
As of Wednesday afternoon, eight new cases have been identified among the student residents of Wendell Hill Hall B. The students who tested positive have been informed of the results and will be provided with instructions about how to proceed.
These individuals are being isolated, and they will have no face-to-face contact with anyone until they are released by KCPHD.
There were two indeterminate student cases, meaning they are not confirmed negative or positive, therefore they will be retested for final results.
CWU will retest all negative cases on Monday, October 26, 2020, from 10 a.m. to noon. If symptomatic, they will retest sooner.
Students who tested negative, but have a suitemate who tested positive, are required to quarantine for 14 days until they are released by KCPHD. The quarantine period begins the day the positive student is relocated.
All 169 students and staff who were tested Monday, October 19, have been self-isolating since the testing program began. CWU staff members have been contacted by CWU Student Health Services with their test results. However, due to HIPAA requirements, CWU is unable to disclose employee medical information.
Public health officials are now conducting case investigations and contact-tracing to inform others in the community who may have been exposed to the virus. CWU and KCPHD will continue to work together on COVID-19 management.
More information about the outbreak is available on CWU’s COVID-19 webpage.