Written by Cassidy Stephenson

On January 30, 2020, Dave Witken, head of public safety, sent out an email to students in order to reassure them that they are aware of the coronavirus, now COVID-19, outbreak and currently do not have any cases. The email consisted of strategies provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to help avoid the spread of the virus. These strategies included washing your hands for at least 20 seconds, not touching your nose, eyes, or mouth, disinfecting surfaces, staying home when you are sick, and covering your coughs and sneezes with a tissue. Concordia University Chicago (CUC) highly encourages students to go to a clinic if they exhibit any symptoms, which include fever, cough, and shortness of breath.

In addition to the CUC health clinic updates regarding the COVID-19 outbreak, the health clinic has a new provider. Dr. Rachel Prokopf graduated from CUC with a secondary education degree and received her Doctorate in Nursing Practice from Rush University. She is a primary care provider with Chicago Medical Group on Lake Street in River Forest. The health clinic hours are as follows, Monday 10 a.m. – 12 p.m., Tuesday 2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m., Wednesday 9 a.m. – 11 a.m., and Thursday 2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. The health clinic is located in the Kreft Center, room 130.

On March 4, 2020, Concordia Public Relations issued a statement for all students, faculty, and staff. CUC is requiring all personal travel to countries that are listed as Level 2 or Level 3 by CDC to be reported via a travel report form attached in the email. These countries include Italy, Iran, South Korea, and China. Everyone is required to fill out that form if they have returned from international travel in the past 14 days, currently traveling internationally, or planning to travel internationally. This is in effect until May 9, 2020, (the end of the semester).

In regards to school-sponsored trips abroad, there are no planned trips during spring break. For the trips in May, Eric Matanyi, Associate VP for Communications and Marketing commented, “Neither the Peru nor the Guatemala trips have been canceled but the University’s Emergency Response Team and other key offices are closely monitoring the international outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID- 19).” With the safety of other Concordias, Matanyi was unaware if specific travel policies are being instituted by other Concordias.