Updates

The next phase of our testing plan is focused on the health and safety of individuals in high-contact situations. These employees and students, due to the nature of their jobs or academic responsibilities, have a higher level of interaction with the public or each other and may at times be unable to maintain the recommended physical distancing.

From providing new testing procedures to discussing economic repercussions to moving classes and labs from in-person to online to helping track data of COVID-19's spread, Virginia Tech scientists — faculty, staff, students, and alumni — took action. Here are some of their stories.

Carla Finkielstein, the director of the Virginia Tech Molecular Analysis Laboratory at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, gives an exclusive tour of the lab. With expanded testing crucial to controlling the pandemic in Virginia and the nation, Virginia Tech faculty, staff, and graduate students went to work to answer the challenge. This lab was crucial to that response.

Hokie Nation knows the value of assembling in large numbers to support our community. While the power of convening is extraordinary, today we can embrace our fellow Hokies and the members of our communities by respecting social distancing. This is a selfless act.

Like other offices on campus, the Dean of Students Office will be available to you as the semester proceeds.

Efforts to reduce the on-campus population of students and employees support the overall public health goal of limiting the potential spread of the virus. The reduced on-campus population reduces the public health risk for the entire community – including those working on campus and working remotely.