Keene State faculty member tests positive

Keene State College president Melinda Treadwell announced that a member of faculty has tested positive for COVID-19, in a video message Tuesday night.

“A short time ago I was contacted that we have a positive COVID-19 case. A member of our faculty, who has been in care in a hospital in Massachusetts, we were notified that she indeed has tested positive for COVID-19. As a campus, we have already reached out to individuals who may have been in contact with that faculty member during a time of potential exposure risk. And we are working with the state department of public health and our local and regional emergency professionals to ensure we, with all attention, attend to mapping the potential cases and working from a public communications perspective. At this moment given this information, I am making the declaration tonight that Keene State will enter into an extended curtailment, which means that our faculty and staff will increasingly be expected to work remotely as we continue to manage the COVID-19 outbreak. We will also ask that our students not return to campus on April 5, as we have planned,” Treadwell said.

Treadwell said Keene State will continue to monitor the situation with the possibility of welcoming students back to campus sooner than the end of the academic year.

“For our seniors, for our students, I am so sorry that this is the message that I am delivering to you. For our athletes, for our graduates, I am deeply, deeply hurt that I can’t welcome you back to complete your final year of competition and study at Keene State. I hope that this will change,” she said.