MVNU takes carefully measured response to COVID-19 concerns

Mount Vernon Nazarene University (MVNU) switched back to full-time remote learning on Monday, with baseline COVID-19 testing protocols activated and many facilities and activities closed or suspended.

After adapting quickly to restrictions in the spring and some students already attending fall classes remotely, the university was well-prepared to carry on operations despite the lockdown, Tracy Waal, vice president for Student Life and chair of the university's COVID-19 Response Task Force, told the Mount Vernon News in a statement.

All athletics practices and competitions, practicums, internships, field work and clinicals are currently suspended, with the university’s coronavirus dashboard showing 22 active cases and 102 individuals quarantined and being monitored as of Wednesday’s update.

The university's cafeteria is still operating with carry-out only, the dashboard said. Some labs and studio classes will still continue.

The school decided to enact stricter protocols in response to the growing number of cases both on campus and in the county and state as well, Wednesday’s update said.

The current added restrictions are set to expire at midnight on Monday, Oct. 26; however, the university’s COVID-19 Response Task Force and Knox Public Health are expected to conduct a joint review of the situation that day to decide what to do next.

As of Thursday, Waal said that they are not leaning any direction regarding reopening.

In evaluating what to do next, “it is important that we look at the entire campus picture rather than individual pieces of data,” Waal told the News.

Until the Task Force has gathered all the data and balanced it with input from Knox Public Health, the university won’t know for certain what operations will look like after Monday.

“We have been, and will continue to be, very strategic about the levers we pull to get the results we need,” Waal said. “The support and direction we receive from Knox Public Health has been a tremendous asset to help us continue our core mission while looking through the lens of public health. They will be vital in our conversation on Monday as we analyze our data and determine our next steps.”

As of Wednesday, Knox Public Health reported 43 total active cases in the county. The county has had 374 total reported cases since the pandemic began, with 15 deaths.