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Lehigh Valley college‌s ‌working to keep students, families safe over Thanksgiving holiday through testing and other options

Thanksgiving-dinner
Photo by Karolina Grabowska from Pexels

As‌ ‌COVID-19‌ ‌cases‌ ‌surge statewide college‌ ‌campuses‌ ‌are‌ ‌assessing‌ ‌how‌ ‌to‌ ‌help‌ ‌students‌ ‌go‌ ‌home‌ ‌for‌ ‌Thanksgiving.‌ ‌WLVR’s‌ ‌Gabi‌ ‌Falk‌ ‌has‌ ‌more‌ ‌on‌ ‌how‌ ‌Moravian‌ ‌and‌ ‌Muhlenberg‌ ‌College‌ ‌are‌ ‌preparing‌ ‌students‌ ‌to‌ ‌have‌ ‌a‌ ‌safe‌ ‌holiday.‌ ‌ ‌

As‌ ‌COVID-19‌ ‌cases‌ ‌surge statewide, college‌ ‌campuses‌ ‌are‌ ‌assessing‌ ‌how‌ ‌to‌ ‌help‌ ‌students‌ ‌go‌ ‌home‌ ‌for‌ ‌Thanksgiving.‌ ‌WLVR’s‌ ‌Gabi‌ ‌Falk‌ ‌has‌ ‌more‌ ‌on‌ ‌how‌ ‌Moravian‌ ‌and‌ ‌Muhlenberg‌ ‌colleges‌ ‌are‌ ‌preparing‌ ‌students‌ ‌to‌ ‌have‌ ‌a‌ ‌safe‌ ‌holiday.‌ ‌ ‌

Moravian‌ ‌College‌ ‌has‌ ‌seen‌ ‌a‌ ‌spike‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌number‌ ‌of‌ ‌students‌ ‌needing‌ ‌to‌ ‌quarantine.‌ ‌ ‌

Spokesman‌ ‌Michael‌ ‌Co‌‌rr‌ ‌says‌ ‌that‌ ‌with‌ ‌Thanksgiving‌ ‌approaching, ‌Moravian‌ ‌decided‌ ‌to‌ ‌err‌ ‌on‌ ‌the‌ ‌side‌ ‌of‌ ‌caution‌ ‌and‌ ‌place‌ ‌the‌ ‌campus‌ ‌under‌ ‌‌quarantine,‌ ‌including‌ ‌no‌ ‌on-campus‌ ‌classes‌ ‌or‌ ‌dining.‌ ‌ ‌

It‌ ‌was‌ ‌an‌ ‌opportunity‌ ‌to‌ ‌let‌ ‌students‌ ‌quarantine‌ ‌before‌ ‌they‌ ‌went‌ ‌home‌ ‌if‌ ‌they‌ ‌wanted‌ ‌to‌ ‌do‌ ‌that‌ ‌to‌ ‌give‌ ‌their‌ ‌parents‌ ‌and‌ ‌families‌ ‌that‌ ‌extra‌ ‌layer‌ ‌of‌ ‌comfort.‌ ‌ ‌

At‌ ‌Muhlenberg‌ ‌College, their‌ ‌COVID-19‌ ‌dashboard‌ ‌is‌ ‌reporting‌ ‌11‌ ‌positive‌ ‌cases‌ ‌as‌ ‌of‌ ‌earlier‌ ‌this‌ ‌week.‌ ‌ ‌

The‌ ‌college’s‌ ‌Dean of Students Allison‌ ‌Gulati ‌says‌ ‌that‌ ‌students‌ ‌are‌ ‌being‌ ‌asked‌ ‌to‌ ‌limit‌ ‌their‌ ‌interactions‌ ‌before‌ ‌going‌ ‌home.‌ ‌

"Given‌ ‌that‌ ‌we‌ ‌were‌ ‌so‌ ‌close‌ ‌to‌ ‌the‌ ‌holidays‌, ‌we‌ ‌wanted‌ ‌everyone‌ ‌to‌ ‌have‌ ‌the‌ ‌best‌ ‌possible‌ ‌chance‌ ‌of‌ ‌being‌ ‌able‌ ‌to‌ ‌celebrate‌ ‌at‌ ‌home‌ ‌with‌ ‌their‌ ‌families.‌ So‌ ‌the‌ ‌more‌ ‌we‌ ‌could‌ ‌contain‌ ‌any‌ ‌potential‌ ‌spread‌, ‌the‌ ‌more‌ ‌we‌ ‌knew‌ ‌that‌ ‌would‌ ‌be‌ ‌possible‌ ‌for‌ ‌everyone‌," Gulati said.

Muhlenberg‌ ‌is‌ ‌offering‌ ‌exit‌ ‌testing‌ ‌for‌ ‌students ‌and‌ ‌encouraging‌ ‌them‌ ‌to‌ ‌leave‌ ‌campus‌ ‌by‌ ‌Friday,‌ ‌Nov. ‌20.‌ ‌

This story is part of a collaboration between WLVR News and Lehigh University’s Department of Journalism & CommunicationView all student stories.

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