COVID-19 confirmed in two University employees
Pictured above is Altgeld Hall on Dec. 1. According to a University Mass Mail, two cases of Covid-19 have been identified in the University community on Saturday.
March 21, 2020
COVID-19 has arrived on the University campus.
Two University employees have contracted COVID-19, the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District announced Saturday.
The employees are males — one in his 30s, the other in his 50s. They are Champaign County’s second and third confirmed cases of the coronavirus.
The first employee was last on campus on March 13 and was tested for the virus on March 15. The second employee was tested on March 18, though it’s unclear when they were last on campus. CUPHD reports the second employee hadn’t had any contact with others.
Both individuals are recovering in home quarantine. After tracing their activities, CUPHD believes the risk of transmission from the employees to others in the campus community is “very low.”
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“These are the first confirmed cases on campus involving members of the University community, and we thought it was important to share this information today,” said Chancellor Robert Jones in a Massmail. “CUPHD has told us to expect more confirmed cases in the days and weeks to come.”
University updates on the virus will be provided at covid19.illinois.edu.
“We continue to follow the guidance from public health experts and state officials to take steps to reduce the density of our campus population to allow for greater social distancing and to make the environment safer for those who remain here. Our transition to alternative course delivery will begin on Monday, and a large majority of our employees have already transitioned to working remotely,” Jones said.
