Both the governor of our state and the mayor of our city have declared a public health emergency, urging all citizens and residents to avoid large group gatherings to minimize the spread of COVID-19. In response to these statements, NOBTS and Leavell College are suspending all face to face classes and other large group gatherings until further notice, and will rely on online alternatives for course delivery. Face to face instruction and suspension of larger group gatherings will begin at the 5:00 pm, March 12, 2020. We will reassess the duration of this suspension by the end of Spring Break, next week, to determine if it needs to be extended further. This decision is effective for the NOLA campus as well as all extension centers. While there are no known presumptive cases on our campus at this time, there are at least 13 presumptive positive cases in Louisiana, with 10 of these being in New Orleans. As such, this decision is in the best interest of the NOBTS family and her surrounding communities.
All face to face courses and large group gatherings are suspended beginning 5:00 pm, March 12, 2020. Our campus, student housing, and student services will remain open. We will continue monitoring the situation around the clock and will keep our students, faculty, and personnel informed as we move forward. The New Orleans campus facilities staff is taking additional precautions in their cleaning process.
Travel for the institution is being limited and non-essential business travel is strongly discouraged. Institutional leadership may request a fourteen day isolation period from the NOBTS and Leavell College community upon return. Travel to and from Level 2 or higher countries, as identified by the CDC, is prohibited. Anyone traveling to or from these countries within the last fourteen days should notify the Dean of Students office and should anticipate a fourteen day isolation from the NOBTS and Leavell College campuses. Isolation is not a suspension from classes, students will be able to continue their work through alternative delivery methods.
If anyone in the NOBTS and Leavell College family has concerns about being exposed to the virus, they should contact their health provider as quickly as possible. *
We advise all of our students, faculty, and personnel to be as diligent as possible in keeping the sanitation standards as outlined by the CDC, and to avoid all unnecessary travel to places where the COVID-19 virus is known to be concentrated. For those wanting real time information about the spread of the virus in our community, please text COVIDNOLA to 888777. For further updates regarding NOBTS and response to COVID-19 please visit www.nobts.edu or www.leavellcollege.com.
* If you have had direct exposure to someone with COVID-19, are having symptoms, or have reason to think that you have been exposed to COVID-19, we ask that you self isolate for 14 days.
