Several members of a construction team working on the Lipscomb campus have tested positive for the coronavirus, said President Randy Lowry in an email sent out to faculty members.
“Yesterday one of the contractors on-site notified us that during routine daily health screenings required before an employee enters the construction site, several of their employees presented with a fever and were asked to leave the construction site to get COVID-19 tests and to self-quarantine,” Lowry wrote in the email.
All of the individuals working at the site were tested, and the results have begun to come in.
“While we are awaiting results from all of the tests, the contractor has notified us that several of the construction workers did test positive for the virus,” Lowry said.
“When we learned of self-reported cases through one of our contractors, we engaged with the contractor to ensure access to testing was available to all members of the work crew,” said Kim Chaudoin, Lipscomb assistant vice president for public relations and communications.
The site has been temporarily shut down for cleaning, and Lipscomb is taking precautions by holding virtual meetings with all of the contractors working on summer projects and reviewing their protocols.
“The university has also implemented enhanced precautionary measures that require all subcontractors to assess their employees when they arrive on the work site, including a temperature check and health screening, wear masks and maintain appropriate physical distance among other measures,“ said Chaudoin.
“While these results are concerning, we were not necessarily surprised to have a situation like this occur at some point, and we are prepared,” Chaudoin continued. “This quick notification and response is a reflection that the stringent protocols that we and our contractors have in place are working.
“We do not believe there is a direct risk to the university community related to these cases, with nearly 90 percent of our employees working remotely and less than 10 students living on campus, and with each construction site fenced off and closed to anyone other than construction professionals.”