Fall Reopening Update

It is hard to believe that it has been three weeks since we happily welcomed students back to campus. The Return to Campus Task Force would like to thank our students, faculty, administrators, and staff for cooperating with our health and safety guidelines while on campus. We all share responsibility for maintaining the health, safety, and well-being of our community, and we thank you for your efforts.

Our continued vigilance while on and off-campus is critical to trying to slow the spread of the coronavirus. We presently have 29 active cases of COVID-19 on our Queens campus. Many of these cases involve students living together in off-campus apartments. We remind everyone to exercise appropriate health precautions while on and off campus through social distancing, wearing face coverings, and washing your hands frequently. Also, it is important that we follow government mandates that prohibit large gatherings.

The Return to Campus Task Force has been providing regular updates on the University’s website about reported cases, contact tracing efforts, and on-campus isolation capacity. After receiving feedback from students and employees, the Task Force has created a new dashboard that we hope will provide more clarity when communicating this information. The dashboard can be found on the “Reported Cases” page of our Reopening website. We will update the dashboard regularly to ensure that timely information is being shared.

Again, we thank you for your commitment to our community health and behavioral standards. St. John’s has overcome challenges in the past. We will overcome these present challenges by working together as a community. We pray for God’s blessings and protection on each of you and your families.