Cuesta College says it received reports of two students testing positive for COVID-19, but campuses were not an exposure risk.
Students and staff are encouraged to self-report on its COVID-19 webpage for individuals who may have been exposed to someone with the coronavirus or are experiencing symptoms.
Students and staff may choose to disclose whether or not they tested positive. If a positive case is reported, our Director of Student Health Services immediately notifies SLO County Public Health, which has the sole authority to investigate and determine if an area is a potential risk of exposure.
Cuesta says it received two self-reports from students who disclosed they received a positive test result. Both of these cases were investigated and confirmed by SLO County Public Health. Health officials said the results did not expose risk to others on campus.
In the most recent case, Cuesta stated in a press release, the student has not been in SLO County for over two weeks and only recently developed symptoms. Because of the incubation period, they were not considered contagious during the time they were in SLO County.
"While Cuesta College is currently not considered to be at increased risk or exposed by any of the known confirmed cases in SLO county, we do know community transmission is possible anywhere outside of our home," officials said. "Cuesta College continues to plan for an extended duration of the coronavirus pandemic with guidance from local and state public experts, and by enacting preventive measures to protect our campus community. In an effort to flatten the curve, we advise students and staff to continue the CDC-recommended practices of proper hygiene, including thorough hand-washing and to follow local, state, and federal orders for social distancing, including shelter-at-home orders."
