Dear Santa Clara University Community,

We write to you with important information about in-person instruction and campus activities scheduled for this week. Our most-recent campus testing reports indicate a spike in the number of community members who have tested positive for COVID-19 over the past 48 hours. Between Monday, April 5 and Tuesday, April 6, 67 of 1017 tests were positive, a rate of 6.6%.

In order to reduce community transmission and slow the spread of COVID-19 on campus, the University is temporarily suspending in-person classes, teaching labs, and performance-based activities from Wednesday, April 7 through Saturday, April 10. Instruction, lab work, and rehearsals will be moved online for the remainder of this week. In addition, the University will be closing the University Learning Commons, all outdoor recreation centers and facilities, and study spaces in the Benson Memorial Center, as well as postponing all in-person Residence Life activities through Saturday, April 10. All other forms of in-person group activities are strongly discouraged.

Dining services in the Benson Memorial Center will remain open for grab-and-go food pick up.

On-campus COVID-19 testing will continue throughout this period, and we encourage you to continue with regular campus testing. Positivity rates will be closely monitored for the next three days. It is our sincere hope that positivity rates decline over the course of this week, which will allow the University to proceed with in-person Sunday mass and resume in-person instruction and activities on Monday, April 12. We will provide a campus update on Friday, April 9. 

Quick action and purposeful safety measures such as social distancing, frequent testing and mask wearing are vital as we continue our phased re-opening of campus. Over the past 12 months, we have seen the community’s ability to slow the spread by taking concrete actions to promote health and safety. We ask for your help by: 

• Completing the Daily Symptom Check via our online form or with the SCU mobile app
• Participating in SCU’s COVID-19 testing program
• Wearing face coverings at all times on campus—indoors and outdoors 
• Maintaining six feet of social distance at all times—indoors and outdoors
• Remembering that face coverings do not eliminate the need to follow social-distancing practices—face coverings and social distancing complement each other
• Washing or sanitizing hands frequently throughout the day
• Practicing good cough and sneeze hygiene 
• Reporting positive COVID-19 test results at 408-554-5100, if the test was administered at an off-campus facility
• Getting vaccinated if and when you are eligible.

As we enter the hopefully final phases of the pandemic, we thank everyone for recommitting to keeping our community safe. Should you have any questions, please let us know.

With gratitude,

Kate Morris  
Acting Co-Provost

Ed Ryan
Acting Co-Provost

David Hess
Tracking and Tracing Team Lead, COVID-19 Operations Team

Katherine Saxton
COVID-19 Health Ambassador, COVID-19 Operations Team

Craig Stephens 
Testing Team Lead, COVID-19 Operations Team