Jordan Cornell
Butler Lantern
As the school year continues, so does the effort students and staff put in to keep themselves and others safe.
After classes moved online in March, students packed up and returned home or sheltered where they could. Students have now returned to school via in person and online, after a five month “quarantine” period, which leaves many people wondering how things will turn out. Since Saturday, Aug. 1, there have been 37 confirmed students and 10 employees who have tested positive (updated as of Monday, Sept. 21). Butler Community College COVID-19 resources can be found on their homepage: https://www.butlercc.edu/coronavirus. There are plenty of things students and employees can practice to keep themselves and others safe.
“Students, staff and faculty should all wear a mask when on campus and around others,” Jaime Sharp, director of College Health Services, said. “Frequent hand-washing is beneficial, along with [a] healthy diet, good sleeping habits and regular exercise. These habits all help boost immune systems to better fight off illnesses.”
Butler has also placed limits on the number of students allowed in each classroom, to allow for adequate spacing between individuals. There are apartment complexes on campus that are reserved for students needing to isolate.
If a student tests positive, they are advised to self-isolate for 10 days from the day their symptoms started or their test date.
According to Butler Community College’s COVID-19 information PDF derived from Kansas Department of Health and Environment COVID-19 website, “Cases must be isolated for a minimum of 10 days after onset and can be released after afebrile and feeling well (without fever-reducing medication) for at least 72 hours, whichever is longer.”
Currently at Butler, there are seven active cases, among them four students and three employees, of COVID-19. Wichita State University has had 35 positive cases (unknown if student or employee) as of Friday, August 3.
In Butler County, however, there have been 459 confirmed positive COVID-19 cases, along with 434 recovered cases and 3 deaths. Butler County data is updated on the county’s website. Overall, in Kansas there has been 49,899 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 534 deaths. Kansas COVID-19 data can be found on the Kansas Department Health and Environment website, which is updated every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. In El Dorado Susan B Allen Memorial Hospital is a COVID-19 testing center, an appointment and referral are required. The testing is also in a ‘drive thru’ style for safety of all persons. There are also testing centers in Andover, and in Wichita which have the same requirements. As the school year continues the best way for students to stay on campus is to practice safe and healthy precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“You should also know that Student Health does not test employee or provide health care services to employees,” Camille Childers RN, director for Student Health Services at Wichita State University, said. “Because WSU is situated in a large urban area with both staff and students come to campus from all over Sedgwick County, currently the best indicator for testing numbers is the Sedgwick County Health Departments dashboard….”
For up-to-date information regarding COVID-19 at Butler Community College, please visit: https://www.butlercc.edu/coronavirus.
