An update on COVID-19 cases

Published September 26, 2020

Dear Beach Community:

Late yesterday, we became aware of a number of students who have not heeded our guidance related to COVID-19 precautions and congregated socially off campus earlier this month.

Five of these students have now tested positive for the illness. Four students live on campus in the residence halls, and one lives off campus. 

These are the actions we are now taking to protect the health and safety of our community:

  • We have placed all on-campus residents in quarantine and, in conjunction with Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services, will be testing all of these students soon. 
  • As we engage in contact tracing on campus, we will pause in-person instruction for two weeks and review the number of employees on campus. Those who have the need to be tested will have a test offered.
  • We will continue our partnership with public health officials to understand the ultimate scope of those who are impacted and assist with contact tracing in the broader community.
  • We will be cleaning and disinfecting facilities as needed. 
  • We will be investigating related student conduct issues and addressing them appropriately.

As you know, we took a conservative approach to the fall semester by vastly reducing the number of students in our residence halls and the number of classes offered on campus. Unfortunately, even with our proactive efforts we need to adapt and respond to this new challenge. We will keep our community informed as we learn more. Our OneBeach website remains an information resource as we move forward.

Jane Close Conoley, PhD
President