WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. — West Liberty University confirmed 11 active cases of COVID-19 on campus on Wednesday.
In a letter to students, staff and faculty, West Liberty University President Stephen Greiner said the cases were reported by its students since Friday, Sept. 4.
“We now have 11 active cases, confirmed by the Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department and a few additional ones still being investigated,” Greiner said.
“I’d like to thank the many careful members of our community who diligently follow our CDC recommended safety guidelines of social distancing, mask-wearing, hand sanitation and avoidance of large social groups during the pandemic.”
Greiner said the students are in isolation or were sent home to recover.
School officials noted in an email to MetroNews that the positive tests are not part of the initial mass testing done on campus and are positive results self-reported from tests taken at a variety of clinics.
“This number means that we are at a .50% positivity rate, which is low,” he said.
Beginning this week, WLU will post positive case numbers provided by the health department every Wednesday on its coronavirus page.
The university is asking anyone to contact their doctor or call WLU’s Student Health Services at 304-336-8049 from 7 am to 3 pm, Monday-Friday for phone advice or to schedule an appointment, if they are feeling sick.
Classes at WLU began on August 17 with classrooms and meeting halls at 50-percent capacity for the semester. Around 1,000 students moved back to the Ohio County campus in a two-week staggered period in early August.
“We encourage all our students and staff to remain safe by avoiding large gatherings and parties and to wear your mask in any circumstance where social distancing is difficult,” Greiner said.