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ELKINS -- Davis & Elkins College, which had two active COVID-19 cases after initial testing of students last week, canceled its scheduled first day of classes on Monday and announced classes will be going virtual for the remainder of the first week.
"While we continue to place great value on in-person instruction and our residential model, COVID testing scenarios and outcomes now require an adjustment to our academic delivery," Dr. Rosemary Thomas, the school's vice president for enrollment management and institutional advancement, told The Inter-Mountain Monday afternoon.
"This began on Monday, Aug. 17, when classes were canceled because we were unable to get all students tested by that date. We have decided to transition to online course delivery for all D&E classes through Friday, Aug. 21.
"We are encouraged by our initial testing results and want to ensure all remaining test results are secured before returning to classroom instruction. Our partnership with the Randolph-Elkins Health Department is key to this process," Thomas said.
"Maintaining social distance seems our best course of action in avoiding risk and making sure the campus community remains a safe living and learning environment. All residential students are strongly encouraged to remain on campus and continue to practice social distancing, the wearing of face coverings and use of sanitizing materials."
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During the Randolph County Office of Emergency Management's weekly update conference call on Monday, the Randolph County Health Department announced that the three active COVID-19 cases in the county will be removed from the quarantine list by today.
Classes for public school students are still scheduled to begin on Sept. 8, barring there are no major setbacks between now and then.
"School is still set to open on Sept. 8," Assistant Randolph County Superintendent Joseph Arbogast said during the call.
"We have steps in place for any circumstance that may arise and those can be located and viewed on our website. If we have to go full remote, we have a plan in place for that as well."
To date there have been 8,632 confirmed COVID-19 cases in West Virginia, including 260 deaths. Randolph County has had 214 confirmed cases with no deaths.