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La Salle University Goes Remote Through Friday Due To Rise In COVID-19 Cases

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - La Salle University is going remote through Friday due to a jump in coronavirus cases among students. In a statement, the interim president of La Salle said there has been a "concentrated increase of positive cases within the last 48 hours."

"We are experiencing a number of positive cases and presumed-positive cases among our campus community—almost entirely from within our student population," Interim President Tim O'Shaughnessy said. "These cases are across vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals."

He said the situation required immediate action to protect health.

All instruction at La Salle will be delivered remotely starting Tuesday through at least Sept. 10.

Faculty are to make necessary arrangements to meet with their classes and hold regularly scheduled office hours remotely and are not to report to campus. Staff who are able to maintain six feet of distancing from others within their workspace will return Tuesday for on-campus operations. All meetings should be conducted through virtual means, with no exceptions. Employees whose work prevents them from maintaining these safety measures are asked to speak with their supervisors. Previously scheduled in-person events should be rescheduled to a later date or held virtually.

Students with off-site clinical affiliations will continue as scheduled. All students are encouraged to speak with their program directors if they have additional questions about their off-campus experiential learning opportunities.

The university said it will continue to monitor the situation.

"It is of paramount importance that we use this moment as a reminder to keep up our guard. Regardless of your vaccination status, we must embrace the tactics that are supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Get vaccinated. Mask up. Avoid large gatherings. Wash and sanitize your hands. Stay home if you are not well. It's easy to let the change of season sway you to believe your symptoms are mere allergies. It's important not to brush off even the mildest of symptoms," O'Shaughnessy said.

La Salle says as of Friday afternoon, more than 85% of their campus community is fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and another 5% is partially vaccinated.

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