Required emergency notification of positive COVID-19 cases on campus

August 24, 2020

As we begin the fall semester, Baylor University is required to send an Emergency Notification* under the Clery Act to all students and employees to ensure you are informed about where to access information regarding COVID-19 positive cases on our campus, important personal health and safety precautions and essential sources of information about the coronavirus.

Daily Dashboard

The University will provide an update on confirmed positive cases among Baylor community members on the Baylor University COVID-19 Dashboard, which can be found on the University's coronavirus website. The dashboard will be updated daily at 3 p.m. and will include daily reported new cases, total active cases, positivity rate and cumulative cases, as well as several other important data points.

The University's coronavirus website also contains links to the COVID-19 case dashboards maintained by the Texas Department of State Health Services and the Waco/McLennan County Public Health District, and the latest information about COVID-19 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about caring for yourself and helping protect others in your home and community.

Prevention Strategies

With the prevalence of COVID-19 cases in our local community and state, we remind you to continue to strengthen your personal health protection:

Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds especially after you have been in a public place, or after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
Use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not readily available;
Practice social distancing by putting at least 6 feet between yourself and people who don't live in your household.
Cover your mouth and nose with a face covering, especially in public places where 6 feet of separation is not feasible. Wearing a face covering is a requirement inside all Baylor buildings and outdoors when social distancing is not possible.
Avoid social gatherings in groups of more than 10 people.
Avoid close contact with people who are sick, even inside of your home.
Cover coughs/sneezes with a tissue or inside of your elbow.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
Clean and then disinfect frequently used surfaces.
Do not share personal items such as food, beverages, water bottles, towels, eating utensils and computers.
Conduct daily health self-checks to monitor for symptoms of COVID-19, including fever, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, loss of taste or smell, fatigue or severe headache, among other symptoms.

COVID-19 affects all age groups – even college-aged students – and the social distancing guidelines, including wearing face coverings when around others, are to protect yourself and care for others as well.

If you are a Baylor student and experiencing any of the symptoms of COVID-19 or concerned that you may have been exposed to the virus, stay at home and call the Baylor Health Services dedicated nurse line at 254-710-1010. Do NOT go directly to the McLane Student Life Center for medical treatment. This fall, to mitigate the risk of community spread, all COVID-19-related symptoms will be treated through an appointment-only Respiratory Clinic located in North Village Community Center.

Baylor employees who are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms should follow CDC guidelines and contact their personal healthcare provider.

Additional resources

Valuable resources for students include the COVID-19 Student Guide, and for employees, the Health & Safety Guide for Returning to Work on Campus. In addition, the University also has adopted various Interim COVID-19 policies that students, employees, contractors and visitors must follow, including the wearing of face coverings and complying with periodic COVID-19 testing throughout the semester.

For more information about COVID-19, please visit the websites of the Centers for Disease Control, the Texas Department of State Health Services and the Waco-McLennan County Public Health District, as well as Baylor’s COVID-19 website.

Baylor University
Department of Public Safety

*Under appropriate circumstances, the Baylor University Department of Public Safety will issue emergency notifications, and/or timely warnings regarding criminal activity or safety issues concerning campus as required by law. For more information on Emergency Notification/Timely Warnings - Baylor Alerts, please visit the Baylor Department of Public Safety website.