Dear Students, Faculty and Staff:

University officials continue to respond to the recent outbreak of norovirus on campus and are taking a range of steps to meet the needs of students, prevent the spread of the virus and break the cycle of transmission.

As of 4:00 p.m. today a total of 192 patients have sought medical treatment for symptoms related to norovirus. While the vast majority of these individuals remain undergraduate students, for the first time today we became aware of that 2 employees who had been helping respond to students became ill.

Since we became aware of this situation earlier in the week only one person was admitted overnight to the hospital and has since been released. Although the number of those seeking treatment has decreased throughout the day, we must remain vigilant about frequent and thorough hand washing, personal cleanliness, and ongoing cleaning in order to prevent the spread of this virus.

Facilities personnel have been working throughout the past 24 hours to thoroughly sanitize all common areas in residence halls, campus housing units and academic and administrative buildings. They have already done so multiple times in highly trafficked areas including Yates Field House, McDonough Arena, the Leavey Center, and Lauinger and Dahlgren libraries and an aggressive cleaning schedule will remain in place throughout the weekend. In addition, housekeeping crews are responding to individual calls for assistance via the Office of Work Management at 687-3432.

As we look toward the weekend, we recognize that many activities are planned to take place on campus and that many of you may travel off campus. There is no reason to limit any planned activities unless you are feeling ill, and then we ask you to rest and use good judgment. Because a large number of student athletes are among those feeling ill, many athletics events have been canceled on an individual basis, after consultation with competitor institutions and league officials. Other academic and recreational activities will continue as scheduled.

If you are not feeling well and experiencing symptoms of severe vomiting and diarrhea, please seek medical treatment. Students may go to the Student Health Center or Georgetown University Hospital. Faculty and staff are encouraged to seek medical treatment from their personal physician or a local hospital and to notify their supervisor or academic leader. Supervisors should report the illness to the Office of Risk Management through the normal Worker’s Compensation System.

We remain committed to providing updated information to you and will do so over the weekend if the situation warrants. We do not expect to learn any new information from the Department of Health until next week. The emergency preparedness website remains the best source for updates and an information hot line (1-800-208-5167) will be available until 10p.m. tonight and from 8:00am-10:00p.m. on Saturday and Sunday for parents and members of the campus community.

We appreciate your ongoing cooperation, assistance and concern for one another during this time.

Sincerely,

Todd A. Olson
Vice President for Student Affairs