KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Knox County Health Department confirmed on Sunday, March 22, that a University of Tennessee Knoxville, staff member tested positive for novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
The campus employee was last on campus on March 16 during spring break, according to the university. UT Knoxville administrators said they will assist local health authorities in reaching out to anyone with whom the employee may have come into close contact.
The university said staff have been extensively deep cleaning campus buildings and will conduct a thorough cleaning of areas where the employee worked using appropriate protective measures.
The staff member is recovering at home in self-isolation, according to university officials. To protect individuals’ private health information, UT Knoxville is not identifying faculty, staff, or students diagnosed with COVID-19.
“Our thoughts right now are with this member of our community. We wish them a speedy recovery and are committed to providing them with care and support,” Chancellor Donde Plowman said.
“We remain focused on the health and well-being of our campus and our broader community. We will continue our aggressive measures for social distancing as we all do our part to limit community spread, flatten the curve of infections, and protect those who are particularly vulnerable to this disease.”
UT Knoxville officials said they are aware that some members of the campus community who suspect they may have COVID-19 are already self-isolating as they await further testing and results.
With the expected increase in confirmed COVID-19 cases, UT Knoxville said it may not publicly announce each individual positive test but will be transparent about situations of public concern and overall numbers of positive cases that health officials report to campus administration.
In all cases, UT administration said it will continue to work closely with local and state health officials to notify anyone who may have had close contact with a member of the campus community diagnosed with COVID-19.
To limit the spread of COVID-19, UT Knoxville moved all spring semester classes online, drastically limited the number of students staying on campus, canceled events, and established procedures for working remotely.
Everyone on campus has been urged to practice social distancing and to follow the CDC’s guidelines to prevent spread of COVID-19, according to UT.
For more information about UT Knoxville’s response to COVID-19, visit utk.edu/coronavirus.