Alert:”Stay Home, Stay Healthy”

On Monday, March 23, 2020, Governor Inslee issued a “Stay Home Stay Healthy” order for the state of Washington, in an attempt to slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) infections.  All Washington state residents are to stay home, unless performing a specified essential function.  To read the full order, visit the Governor’s website here.  The list of essential functions is linked in section 1(b) of the order.

For additional information on how this affects WSU Tri-Cities, visit our FAQ page here, and the system-wide COVID-19 information page at https://wsu.edu/covid-19/.  More information regarding COVID-19, its local and state impacts, and protective measures can be obtained from:

• Benton-Franklin Health District’s site HERE
• Washington State Department of Health websiteHERE
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention site HERE

We are not aware of any cases of COVID-19 directly impacting the WSU Tri-Cities campus.  We are in communication with Benton-Franklin Health District, and we will provide additional information if cases impacting campus are identified by the Health District.  Weekly updates via Zoom will also be provided on Tuesdays at 10AM.  Questions can be sent to tricities.covid19@wsu.edu.

WSUTC custodial staff has increased cleaning frequencies for high contact locations on campus and is using COVID-19 sanitation guidelines from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and Washington State Department of Health (DOH) for all routine cleaning including common touch surfaces.

WSU has taken proactive steps such as moving to online classes and increasing telework to enhance social distancing. By limiting the number of people on campus, we can reduce the potential for community spread of COVID-19. The WSU community should continue to be vigilant with social distancing, including:

• Stay home when you are sick – this is very important for all illnesses, but especially for the duration of a respiratory illness
• Students, if you have not returned to Pullman, please stay at home if you are able.
• Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use alcohol-based sanitizer frequently
• Avoid touching your mouth, nose, and eyes with unwashed hands
• Cover your coughs and sneezes by coughing into your elbow or a tissue
• Frequently clean and disinfect high-touch and common surfaces
• Enhance social distancing (more than 6 feet)
• Stay away from people who are sick
• If you have coronavirus symptoms – fever, cough and shortness of breath – or if you have questions about your personal health, contact your health care provider.

Information included here and in the WSU Alert notification sent 3/24/20 are intended to keep our community as informed and safe as possible and to meet Clery Act compliance.

Register for emergency notifications by visiting my.WSU.edu, or by clicking here.