Off-campus student, additional subcontractors test positive for COVID-19

Xanayra Marin-Lopez, Reporter
June 2, 2020

One off-campus App State student and eleven subcontractors for campus construction projects tested positive for COVID-19, according to an AppHealthCare press release.

The student was in close contact with another known positive case. Seven of the workers are residents of Watauga County. The workers’ last days on campus were between May 22 and May 26.

All of the individuals are in recovery at home and are following isolation instructions. Close contacts have been identified by public health officials who are now quarantined and will have access to testing.

On May 27, App State defined measures taken in cooperation with AppHealthCare towards the health construction contractors working at the university. They are as follows:

All construction contractors working at the university will have access to broader testing at worksites, including those that have not experienced a positive case to date
Enhanced precautionary measures for on campus employees, including wearing face coverings and maintaining six feet of distance through Gov. Cooper’s Executive Order 131 and 135
Verifying self reported tests and tests in other counties in consultation with the North Carolina Division of Public Health Communicable Disease team and AppHealthCare as a university partner

In Watauga County, the total confirmed case count is 25 with 14 active individuals in isolation.

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