Salem State learned that a Sodexo employee who worked in Marsh Dining Hall on November 12 tested positive for COVID-19. In accord with DPH guidelines, we are temporarily closing Marsh Dining Hall in order to conduct enhanced cleaning and we will be moving our dining operations to North Dining starting with dinner at 5:30 pm evening – through breakfast on Sunday. We will reopen Marsh Dining for lunch on Sunday.
All persons that have been identified as possible close contacts with the employee who has tested positive, are in the process of being notified. We have tested all dining employees this week for COVID-19 and we will be testing them again next week out of an abundance of caution. We do not believe that there is an elevated risk to any other community members at this time, including those who have been dining in Marsh this week.
We are aware that the number of COVID-19 cases in Salem and in Massachusetts overall continue to rise. Following health and safety protocols at this time is crucial. Please do not come to campus for work or class if you are ill, do the daily symptom check on CoVerified, get tested often, avoid gatherings, practice physical distance and wear a mask whenever you are in public. Salem State is now encouraging all on campus students and employees to access free COVID-19 testing weekly. Information about COVID-19 testing can be found here.
We apologize for the disruption of dining services. Thank you for your understanding and helping us prioritize the health and safety of our campus.
Sincerely,
Elisa Castillo, PhD, Associate Dean of Students for Wellness
Gene Labonte, Associate Vice President for Public Safety and Risk Management
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Elisa Castillo
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