August 27, 2020
Dear UNL Students, Faculty and Staff –
Today we are releasing data related to the COVID-19 cases among our UNL community and will be providing daily updates going forward. We have had 107 positive cases reported to us by the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department (LLCHD) since Aug. 12, among 889 tests. This includes tests done on campus, at the UNL TestNebraska facility and at the University Health Center, as well as those done elsewhere.
On our COVID-19 website, we will share daily updates of information as reported to us via the LLCHD, including:
- Number of positive tests
- Total number of tests
We will recap these numbers on a weekly basis in our Nebraska Today newsletter, which will also include a 7-day positivity rate. The website will also feature an ongoing, cumulative look at our testing results.
Free testing is available on campus on weekday afternoons through a partnership with our University Health Center and TestNebraska site. I would encourage anyone displaying symptoms or who has concerns to take the steps to sign up for a free test. People are encouraged but not required to speak to a medical provider before deciding to sign up for a test. The University Health Center also continues to offer testing by appointment during normal clinic hours, including Saturday mornings. Fees may apply.
As we reported earlier this week, we have had two instances of small clusters on our campus where the public health department has recommended quarantining the residents of a specific living facility. As instances of small clusters result in recommendations to quarantine specific facilities with a defined population, we will continue to share that information on our @UNLincoln social media channels and on our COVID-19 website. Should we have a larger outbreak or one in a building utilized by a broad number of people in our community – such as an academic building used for classes – we will notify our UNL community via email in addition to sharing on our social media channels and on our COVID-19 website.
I know many of you had hoped we would have had this information to share sooner. So did we. We want to ensure the information we provide is an accurate reflection of the situation on our campus. We are confident that we are now able to receive that information accurately and consistently on a daily basis, and we will be sharing that information with you.
While I wish we had no cases on our campus, I know that is not realistic. If we all continue to practice our safety measures consistently – on and off campus, indoors and out – we can help keep our numbers to a low level where they can be mitigated. It will take all of us being diligent, each and every day. If we can all work together toward that incredibly important goal – we can preserve our ability to learn on campus and safely engage with one another on our campus.
Thank you for all that you are doing to continue to make that possible.
Ronnie D. Green, Ph.D.
Chancellor