A Pomona College student tested positive for coronavirus on March 24. The student left campus less than two weeks ago. In an email to Pomona’s student body, Pomona College President G. Gabrielle Starr announced that a student has tested positive for coronavirus.
“We are writing to let you know that a Pomona College student who left campus March 13, and has not returned since, notified the College yesterday that they tested positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19) on March 24,” Starr wrote.
Pomona College is part of the Claremont Colleges Consortium, which also includes Harvey Mudd, Claremont McKenna, Pitzer, and Scripps Colleges. The colleges share many facilities and are all located within a one square mile plot of land; the colleges share a library. Students are also commonly cross-enrolled in classes across the Claremont Colleges and frequently access dining halls across the colleges. The Claremont Colleges moved classes online and canceled in-person classes on March 11, with Pomona College giving students until March 18 to leave campus.
The name of the student cannot be released:
“Consistent with federal and state laws governing patient confidentiality, we will not provide any information on the patients other than to confirm that they are a Pomona College student or employee.”
Claremont McKenna College (CMC) sent its students an email warning of the situation at Pomona College, with CMC Vice President of Student Affairs Sharon K. Basso asking CMC students to “Please see this notification from Pomona College indicating that one of their students, who has been off campus since March 13, tested positive for COVID-19. While this is one confirmed case among our Claremont Colleges community, there may be other suspected or confirmed cases in the near future. The spread of this virus is aggressive, so please continue to follow all public health mandates including physical distancing and frequent hand-washing.”
Starr assured that the college will notify those who have been in contact with the student: “In these cases, the College, when dictated by the available information, will work to notify those who have worked or lived on campus in close proximity with the person without identifying them by name.”
A previous version of this article stated that the Claremont Colleges canceled classes on March 11. The colleges moved classes online and canceled in-person classes; this article has been updated to clarify this issue.