The Stevens Institute of Technology announced this evening that they have their second confirmed case of COVID-19 on campus, their first staff member, who is currently self-isolating at home.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“The best information we can share at this time is that the individual was primarily in the Ruesterholz Admissions Center from Monday, March 9th through Friday, March 13th and the only other location that the individual visited on campus was the Howe Center on Monday, March 9th and Tuesday, March 10th,” Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs Marybeth Murphy said tonight.
As a result, the Hoboken Health Department has been notified and employees at the admissions center – which is being disinfected today – have been asked to self-isolate through March 27th.
The university is also in the process notifying anyone who may have come in contact with the staff member.
Stevens asked their students to move off campus by March 27th as another precautionary measure, which occurred just before one of their commuter students from Bergen County tested positive for the coronavirus.
Yesterday, Stevens President Nariman Farvardin said that the university is moving forward with their move out procedure, which will consider those who applied for exemptions, noting that Gov. Phil Murphy’s “stay-at-home” order permits moving.
“We apologize for the inconvenience, but must undertake this additional precaution to promote social distancing and limit gatherings per State and local guidance. We look forward to returning to normal operations and re-opening our campus as soon as it is safe to do so.”
Their latest announcement comes just minutes after Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla revealed that four more residents have tested positive for COVID-19, now 25 overall, also mentioning that four officers are nearing the end of an imposed self-isolation period.