News

UNCWAlert: A COVID-19 Cluster Has Been Identified in Sandpiper Residence Hall

Monday, August 23, 2021

Notice: Beginning today (Aug. 23), clusters reported under the guidance of the Clery Act will be posted on UNCW’s COVID-19 information website, Best for the Nest. Cluster notifications will no longer include social media posts, texts or campus emails. The postings on Best for the Nest will serve as a notification of any COVID-19 clusters to campus per guidance under the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act, which establishes requirements regarding health and safety information that universities must share with their campuses. 
 
UNCW has identified a COVID-19 cluster involving Sandpiper Residence Hall. A “cluster” is defined by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services as five or more cases that are considered in close proximity by location in the last 14 days. 
 
The individuals involved in this cluster have been and/or are isolating and have been receiving medical monitoring and/or treatment as needed. To protect individuals’ private health information, UNCW will not publicly name employees or students diagnosed with COVID-19. The university shares general information about confirmed cases on its data dashboard. 
 
The university has informed the New Hanover County Health and Human Services,  and contact tracing has been initiated with direct communication to anyone determined to have been in close contact with a COVID-19-positive individual. A close contact is defined as someone who has been within six feet of an infected person for more than 15 minutes when either person has not been wearing a face covering. Those identified as a close contact will be notified directly and provided with further guidance. 
 
We are notifying the campus of these clusters per guidance under the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act, which establishes requirements about health and safety information that universities must share with their campuses. 
 
Students with COVID-19 symptoms (i.e., fever, chills, shortness of breath, muscle aches, a cough, nausea/vomiting, diarrhea, etc.) should notify the UNCW Student Health Center at 910.962.0587 or coronavirus@uncw.edu.  
 
Employees with COVID-19 symptoms should contact your health care provider (let them know you have symptoms when making an appointment), notify your supervisor and then notify the UNCW Student Health Center at 910.962.0587 or coronavirus@uncw.edu.  
 
For campus updates related to COVID-19, please visit Best for the Nest.