The College will resume classes and all normal operations on Monday, March 14, and is continuing actions to address the outbreak of norovirus that has affected the campus. There has been a sharp reduction in the number of students who have become ill with the virus, and it is expected that this trend will continue. The campus community is reminded to continue following guidelines for hand-washing, clean-up, and disinfection that have been communicated by Dr. Jeffrey Goldstein, director of health services.
The College is cancelling all classes, co-curricular, and extracurricular events, including intercollegiate athletics and club sports, effective Wednesday evening, March 9. These cancellations will remain in effect throughout the weekend. The College will resume its normal operations on Monday.
A number of Lafayette students have experienced fever, vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach pains beginning on the evening of Friday, March 4. This has been confirmed as an outbreak of the extremely contagious stomach virus commonly known as norovirus.
Student health is the primary focus as the College addresses the impact of this illness. The College is continuing to monitor the number of students who experience these symptoms, including surveying all students to determine how many have been affected.
The College is maintaining close contact with state and local health resources for guidance on the most up-to-date methods on infection control.
The College will continue to provide updates to the campus community and parents as they are warranted.
People become infected by eating food or drinking liquids that are contaminated with the virus, touching surfaces that have the virus, or having direct contact with an infected person. The virus can live on surfaces for several hours. This infection can cause serious symptoms, including intractable vomiting and diarrhea, which can result in dehydration.
There is no specific treatment for the virus. Most people feel better in a couple of days. The best way to prevent dehydration is to drink enough liquids to replace the fluid lost from vomiting and diarrhea. In some instances, it may be necessary to replace fluids intravenously and take medication to alleviate the nausea.
The College has taken the following steps in addition to those mentioned above:
The following messages have been sent to the campus community and parents with information on symptoms associated with the virus, the College’s response to date, and steps for stopping the spread of a contagious stomach virus:
The messages included the following recommendations:
To-go containers are being made available in both Marquis Hall and Upper Farinon Center dining halls. (The College’s other dining locations always provide to-go containers.) Students may pick up a meal to go for themselves or a friend using their own or another student’s ID. Bottled water and disposable cups are included in this meal exchange. To minimize the use of shared serving utensils in the dining halls, self-serve stations have been replaced by serving lines.
The College is cancelling all classes, co-curricular, and extracurricular events, including intercollegiate athletic events, effective Wednesday evening, March 9. These cancellations will remain in effect throughout the weekend. The normal class schedule will resume Monday, March 14.
Students who miss class because they are experiencing symptoms will not need a Dean’s Excuse. They have been advised to report the reason for their absence to their faculty members. Faculty members have been asked to excuse students who miss class because they are sick during the outbreak and/or to make accommodations.
Information on norovirus from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is found here.