To: The Wofford community
From: The Working Group for the Return to Campus and President’s Cabinet
Re: Remote instruction continues

Wofford College will continue remote instruction and remote work when possible through Friday, Feb. 5. In-person classes and work will resume on Monday, Feb. 8.

Although case counts did drop slightly during our two-week reset, we still have 109 active COVID-19 cases on campus and 74 people in quarantine. Isolation and quarantine spaces are 95% full, and capacity at Spartanburg Medical Center is also at 95%. Another week of remote instruction will give us a few more days to make sure case counts continue their downward trend and will allow time to free up space on campus for students who do contract coronavirus and cannot return home.

Starting now, we will operate at Level 4 of our wellness guidelines, but without the additional safety measures imposed during the past two weeks. This will allow more freedom to gather in small groups. Look for additional information this week about a further relaxation of guidelines as we contain case counts and manage isolation and quarantine needs.

A few things to note:

  • Case counts have gone down, so thank you for taking the time and effort to be tested. This information shows us that we are moving in the right direction.
  • We will continue to wear masks, practice careful hand hygiene and maintain physical distance of at least six feet. We have purchased KN-95 masks, and we will issue several of these to each member of our community before in-person classes resume.
  • Visit WoffordTogether for wellness guidelines, commitments and consequences.
  • Beginning Feb. 10, we will be testing between 25% and 50% of our campus community each week for COVID-19 through a combination of surveillance testing, athletics testing and close contact testing. Each week about 600 people will be asked to participate in surveillance testing.
  • Keep your guard up! Even with enhanced COVID-19 surveillance testing, it’s important to remember the tests are an indicator of one point in time. Making safe choices is still a must!
  • We will have weekly surveillance testing on campus, but if you prefer to be tested by your physician, you are welcome to do so.
  • Continue to fill out the Daily COVID-19 Symptom Tracker. The Student COVID-19 Response Team is working on an incentive program, so look for details soon.

We learned that we can do this, and we must if we want to remain together through the semester. We have much to look forward to this semester, so hang in there!

Here are some answers to questions you may have.

FAQs:

If we have been off campus, when can we return?
You may return any time. We encourage students to return to campus and stay on campus, socializing in small groups.

Is the college really committed to resuming in-person instruction?
Yes! We are encouraged by the trending data, by the recommitment to our community’s standards and the new surveillance testing program. We will begin in-person instruction on Monday, Feb. 8 and want to continue through the semester.

Even if the college does choose to move to remote instruction, can students remain on campus?
Yes! The intent is to continue in-person instruction, but if the pandemic causes a change in operations, we have every intention of allowing students to live on campus.

When will the college move from Level 4 guidelines to Level 3?
Look for information within the week on the relaxation of guidelines. We want to protect our community’s health, and we also want students to have more opportunities for socialization on campus.