Florida State and coronavirus: 42 students, 5 employees tested positive this month

Forty-two Florida State University students and five employees tested positive for coronavirus during the two-week period of Aug. 2-15, the Tallahassee Democrat has learned.

The university initially held its COVID-19 test site at the Traditions Parking Garage but moved those operations to the Tucker Center. The positive tests are out of 3,222 tests of students, faculty and staff during the same period.

“The positivity rate is approximately 1.46% for the members of our campus community who have taken advantage of the free testing provided by Florida State University during this time,” FSU spokesman Dennis Schnittker later said Wednesday in response to a Tallahassee Democrat inquiry.

Residential students who test positive are moved to isolation for 14 days in the university’s designated COVID-19 residence hall or other isolation facilities. The university is providing appropriate services to ensure they are receiving the proper care during this period, Schnittker said.

Off-campus students will isolate in their residences for 14 days.

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Moreover, any students, faculty or staff who are identified through contact tracing and assessment will be notified and required to quarantine for 14 days.

Two on-campus residence halls and several other smaller facilities have been designated and prepared for the 14-day isolation of residential students who test positive for the virus.

Clearance to return to campus or to regular campus residence halls will be determined by appropriate university and CDC guidelines, according to the university. 

Tanya Tatum, director of Student Health Services at Florida A&M University, said there are no reports of positive cases among students at this time.

In the event positive cases become known, the university has a process in place, including designated housing units on campus for quarantine and isolation. 

“Student health clinic staff will be following up on all known cases for campus contacts and we will work closely with the Leon County Health Department for contact tracing,” she said.

Contact senior writer Byron Dobson at bdobson@tallahassee.com or on Twitter @byrondobson.

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