COVID-19 and UA - Pulaski Tech

March 12, 2020

It was announced Wednesday, March 11, that, due to an abundance of caution in response to the developing international health crisis related to coronavirus, or COVID-19, all UA-PTC sites have cancelled face-to-face classes and all on-site student activities beginning Thursday, March 12 until at least Monday, March 30.

To reiterate: no confirmed cases of novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, have been identified among any campus faculty, students, or staff.

All face-to-face college instruction will be cancelled for March 12 to March 29. Online and hybrid classes will continue to meet as scheduled. Hybrids will operate on a fully online environment. Spring break is March 21-29.

All scheduled campus activities, including student programs, outside events, and CHARTS events are cancelled until at least Monday, March 30. All college-related travel by employees or students is likewise suspended. Any changes to this timeline will be posted to the college website, as well as sent via email to campus email addresses, and will be communicated to the media through the office of public relations.

The situation in central Arkansas continues to develop rapidly, with numerous breaking news items announced, including:

1. Gov. Asa Hutchinson confirmed six presumptive cases of the virus in central Arkansas..
2. Numerous school districts, including Little Rock and Pulaski County Special School Districts, have closed until the end of Spring Break.
3. Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott declared a state of emergency for the City of Little Rock. The move was described as a preemptive move that will allow the city to potentially receive disaster funds. Multiple large city events were postponed or cancelled. In a written statement, Scott urged area event organizers to follow suit and reschedule all events with an expected attendance of 200 attendees or more that will put people in close proximity to each other within the next 30 days.
4. For a local news source, the Arkansas Democrat Gazette has made their coronavirus coverage free to non-subscribers.

At UA-PTC

Since many technical and occupational classes are not adequately supported by the online learning environment, college administration elected to postpone classes until face-to-face classes can meet safely. College administrators compare the logistics of this temporary cancellation of classes to an inclement weather situation, where the length of instruction time –spring semester- is extended to make up for the time classes are cancelled.

UA-PTC staff will continue to report to work. However, any staff members who are ill or concerned about the Covid19 implications are encouraged to take leave.

Little Learners Academy daycare will close to children until March 30.

UA-PTC is potentially dealing with one presumptive COVID-19 case related to the patient identified in Pine Bluff, when a medical professional with a relationship to a UA-PTC employee at Little Rock – South site returned home after having treated the presumptively positive patient. Though the employee has shown no symptoms, the employee has been advised to self-quarantine at home for 14 days. A second potential case concerns a respiratory therapy student who treated a patient who is currently being tested for COVID-19. No further information is available at this time.

Proactively, custodial services staff will perform a deep cleaning of UA-PTC buildings, in compliance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. In cooperation with the office of the Governor, the Arkansas Department of Health, CDC, UA System and other agencies, the UA-PTC Response Team is monitoring the status of the virus and its impact on college operations.