A letter to the campus community concerning coronavirus
Dear Newberg students, parents, faculty and staff,
George Fox University continues to have zero confirmed cases of coronavirus (COVID-19), although the Oregon Health Authority has announced Yamhill County has a (presumably unrelated) case. We are in daily contact with Yamhill County Public Health, and we have been informed they will notify us if they become aware we have a confirmed case on the Newberg campus.
The Oregon Health Authority and the Higher Education Coordinating Commission have issued new guidelines for universities regarding sharing information about student health involving coronavirus. Under these new guidelines, information about students with a confirmed case of coronavirus will be communicated by the local public health agency (Yamhill County Public Health for the Newberg campus, Washington County Department of Health and Human Services for Portland Center, Marion County Public Health for the Salem site, and Deschutes County Public Health for Redmond site).
These new guidelines restrict our ability to share personal student health information, including symptoms, test status or test results. Any sharing of information must come from the public health agency or the individual. We realize this may be frustrating to our whole community, especially those with health concerns and those in close contact with others who have health concerns. We believe anyone who has been in close contact with a confirmed case will be notified by public health officials.
We will continue to update our coronavirus response page with whatever public information is available. Please direct any questions to health@georgefox.edu.
We know these are uncertain times, but we are a Christ-centered community that cares for and supports one another, and we will continue to do so. The safety and well-being of our students and employees remains our top priority, and we will continue to update you as we receive new information.
Sincerely,
Brad Lau, Vice President for Student Life