Positive Case of COVID-19 at CU Denver

March 18, 2020 @ 11:45 a.m.

Dear CU Denver students, faculty, and staff,

I am writing with news that a CU Denver student has tested positive for COVID-19. The student was last on campus March 9 and has been self-quarantined since that date.   

Most importantly, I want to wish this member of our community well during this time. While we have all been following the spread of the disease locally, nationally, and globally, I know the first case within our own community may leave people feeling even more concerned. Please know that we are working with health officials to follow their guidance, and we will continue to take all necessary precautions to keep our community healthy and safe.

We’ve been expecting this first diagnosis and have planned for it. Transmission on campus should be drastically minimized now that we have transitioned to fully remote teaching and learning and restricted access to campus. All buildings are on a regular cleaning and sanitization schedule.  Only essential and critical employees are allowed into the buildings, and we have asked even these employees to stay away from campus unless absolutely necessary.  

Given the trajectory of the disease, we can expect that the number of positive cases in our community will increase. Our social distancing measures are intended to slow it down. Although we said in a previous email that you would receive a RAVE notice in the event of any positive case, given that there is sustained community spread, we are now following public health department guidance that a RAVE is unnecessary. Please continue to stay away from campus and away from crowded places as this disease progresses.  And do keep checking our COVID-19 website for the latest information.

I want to express my profound sadness that this academic year is turning out in a way that none of us could ever have predicted. I am grateful for the incredible sacrifice of our faculty and staff to help all our students continue to be successful. And I am confident that we will come through this difficult period with a greater sense of our resilience and connectedness as a community.

Dorothy Horrell
Chancellor