Dear Members of the Holy Cross Community,
At this time, I am putting a Respiratory Virus Advisory in effect as we are seeing an increase in respiratory viruses on campus after the recent break. This advisory serves to remind you of important mitigation measures that you are encouraged to take. I strongly encourage all individuals to mask in indoor public spaces around others. Along with masking, I also recommend practicing good hand hygiene through either frequent hand washing or using hand sanitizer and remembering to cover your cough and sneeze. With finals prep and finals approaching, we want everyone in our community to stay safe and take appropriate precautions to staying healthy before winter break.
If you feel sick, test early and often.
- Students can pick up COVID test kits and masks in the entryway of Health Services, M-F 9am-5pm. Employees can pick up COVID test kits and masks in Human Resources, M-F 9am-5pm.
- I urge students to make an appointment at the respiratory clinic for an evaluation, and employees are encouraged to contact their PCP or visit a clinic for an evaluation of their illness. If you feel sick, even if you test negative for COVID and/or flu, please mask and avoid interacting with others.
There are many social gatherings including games, performances, and parties in the next few weeks that individuals may choose to attend. It is up to the individual to make the risk assessment of whether or not to attend these events, and what precautions to take. If you choose to attend a large event, consider how you can protect others around you afterwards. I recommend masking in the days following large gatherings as you may have unknown exposures to viruses. While the risk of illness may not affect your plans directly, infecting others can disrupt their finals, travel plans for winter break, and mental wellbeing.
If you have not received your flu shot and/or COVID bivalent booster, you still have time to get them! Please reach out to coronavirus@holycross.edu if you need any assistance finding a vaccination site.
If you have any questions about COVID, please refer to the COVID Response page. For any other questions, please respond to this email directly.
Thank you,
Alyssa Price MSN, BSN, RN
Public Health Registered Nurse