COVID-19 Update from Chancellor Watson
Dear Campus Community,
On Sunday, Aug. 16, we were notified that an employee at the UW-Whitewater Children’s Center tested positive for COVID-19.
As you know from previous communications, in these situations our university has a thorough process in place for reporting and notification, as well as acting quickly to prevent the spread of infection.
Contact tracing began immediately. Any staff (including student employees), who were identified as close contacts have been made aware of their next steps in regards to testing and self-quarantine. This also includes families of the children who use services at the Center who were determined to be close contacts. University Health and Counseling Services is also in communication with the Walworth County public health department.
The Children’s Center was already scheduled to be closed today. All rooms in the center are being disinfected. The classroom where this individual worked will be closed through Aug. 28 out of precaution. The remaining classrooms will be open and staffed beginning Wednesday, Aug. 19.
If you have any concerns about whether this situation affects you or your work, please contact your supervisor. We will do our best to answer your questions and address your concerns while also respecting individual privacy rights and maintaining our obligation to public health and safety.
As we navigate this pandemic, we are committed to transparency as we work to make our campus community as safe as possible. We are creating an online dashboard to be launched soon so that you can monitor the status of COVID-19, both at the university and across our region. You can call the COVID-19 hotline at 262-472-1362 with any questions on university operations related to the Warhawks Return plan or COVID-19. You can also email covid19info@uww.edu.
The health and safety of our employees, students, and community members remains our highest priority.
Dr. Dwight C. Watson
Chancellor