Archived Alerts (Inactive)

Information on COVID-19 virus

Longwood community,

The university is monitoring developments both in Virginia and around the world related to the COVID-19 virus. We are working with the Virginia Department of Health, area partners, and following Centers for Disease Control guidelines. There are no reported cases of the virus at Longwood, and no confirmed cases in Virginia. As a precaution, our housekeeping staff has increased disinfectant and cleaning efforts, focusing on high-traffic areas.

SPRING BREAK TRAVEL

This week, the Centers for Disease Control issued a travel advisory, recommending that people avoid traveling to China and South Korea, as well as postponing any planned trips to Iran, Italy, and Japan. If you have international travel plans for spring break, please make sure you follow CDC advice. Updated advice can be found at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html.

PREVENTION

If you have questions related to the COVID-19 virus—it’s symptoms, reported illnesses, and how it spreads, please visit the CDC website (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/summary.html) and the Virginia Department of Health website (http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/surveillance-and-investigation/novel-coronavirus/).

Preventing the COVID-19 virus is similar to other common viruses. Preventative measures include:

  • Washing hands regularly
  • Cover nose and mouth when sneezing or coughing
  • Staying home when sick
  • Avoid touching public surfaces

The University Health Center is open for student appointments. Contact them at 434-395-2102.

Delayed Opening Announcement

Campus community,

Longwood University will open at 10 a.m. tomorrow, Feb. 21.

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Amended hours for campus facilities are:

-Dorrill Dining Hall: opening at 8 a.m. Friday

-Upchurch University Center: opening at 9 a.m. Friday

-Upchurch Starbucks: opening at 10 a.m. Friday

-FarmGrille, Panda Express, Au Bon Pain, Chick-fil-A, Moe's: normal schedule

-POD: normal schedule

-Health & Fitness Center: opening at 8 a.m. Friday

-Greenwood Library: Closing at midnight Thursday, opening at 10 a.m. Friday

-University Health Center: opening at 10 a.m. Friday

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The FAB is currently operating on a normal schedule tonight. They will begin service at 9 a.m. on Friday.

Please make the best decision for your safety when commuting this evening. Please work with your supervisor if you need to leave early for your travel home.

Ticket-holders for tonights premiere of Chicago in Jarman Auditorium will have their tickets honored at another performance if they cannot travel this evening. Please contact the box office to make arrangements.

Tonights Scholarship Dinner will continue as planned.

Update: Oak St. incident

Update: Police have secured the area on Oak Street and normal activity may resume in the area. A parking section is taped off as investigation continues, so please avoid that area. If anyone has any information that could help police, please call Sgt. David Ragland at 434-547-2375.

Alert: Police investigating shots fired report off campus

Please be aware Farmville and Longwood police departments are investigating a report of shots fired on Oak Street near Southside Community Hospital. Units are on the scene. Please avoid the area until cleared by police. Updates at alerts.longwood.edu.

Email Scam

Longwood Students,

The Information Security Office would like to make you aware of a scam email related to student employment that is currently circulating. The email comes from a live.longwood.edu account and advertises the position of Desk Aide. It requests that interested applicants reply with confidential information, such as your cell phone number, address, or other identifying information, to be considered for the job.  Please be on the lookout for this email and do not respond with any personal information.

Please note:

  • No one from Longwood will ever request personal identifying information via email during the application process.
  • No one by the name of Mark Hoffman (the Business Analyst mentioned in the email) is associated with Longwood.
  • Longwood does not text students regarding their applications.
  • The only way to apply for the Desk Aide position is via the official application.
  • You should never send identifying information to anyone requesting it via email or text. If you are uncertain about the legitimacy of an email, it is best to call the sender to verify it.

If you receive this scam email, simply delete it without responding. If you have responded to the email and would like to send us information about it, send the email with headers to phishing@longwood.edu. For instructions on how to send an email with headers, see our Report a Security Incident page.

Coronavirus information

Campus community,

With news spreading about the Coronavirus, I want to share some information the Virginia Department of Health relayed from the Centers for Disease Control below. There were two suspected cases reported in Central Virginia last week, but both have been tested and were negative for the Coronavirus.

Right now there is no cause for alarm at Longwood and no suspected cases have been reported. We know of no one in the campus community who has traveled to Wuhan. The incubation period on this virus is believed to be 2-14 days. As with any virus, practicing good hygiene can help prevent its spread, including:

  • Washing your hands often for at least 20 seconds
  • Avoid touching your mouth, eyes, and nose with unwashed hands
  • Avoid close contact with people who are sick
  • Stay home when you are sick
  • Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then discard the tissue
  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces like doorknobs

The University Health Center is still offering flu shots to students, faculty, and staff. Longwood community members can walk into the health center without an appointment for the flu vaccine.

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Q: What is 2019 Novel Coronavirus?

A: 2019 Novel Coronavirus, or 2019-nCoV, is a new respiratory virus first identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China.

Q: What is the source of 2019 Novel Coronavirus?

A: Public health officials and partners are working hard to identify the source of the 2019-nCoV. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses, some causing illness in people and others that circulate among animals, including camels, cats and bats. Early on, many of the patients in the outbreak in Wuhan, China reportedly had some link to a large seafood and animal market, suggesting the virus likely emerged from an animal source. Analysis of the genetic tree of this virus is ongoing to know the specific source of the virus. SARS, another coronavirus that emerged to infect people, came from civit cats, while MERS, another coronavirus that emerged to infect people, came from camels.

Q: What are the symptoms and complications that Novel Coronavirus 2019 can cause?

A: Current symptoms reported for patients with 2019-nCoV have included mild to severe respiratory illness with fever1, cough, and difficulty breathing.

Q: How does the virus spread?

A: This virus probably originally emerged from an animal source but now seems to be spreading from person-to-person. It’s important to note that person-to-person spread can happen on a continuum. Some viruses are highly contagious (like measles), while other viruses are less so. It’s not clear yet how easily 2019-nCoV spreads from person-to-person. When person-to-person spread has occurred with MERS and SARS, it is thought to have happened mainly via respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes, similar to how influenza and other respiratory pathogens spread. Spread of MERS and SARS between people has generally occurred between close contacts.

Q: Has anyone in the United States gotten infected?

A: Yes. The first infection with 2019-nCoV in the United States was reported on January 21, 2020.

Q: Am I at risk for 2019-nCoV infection in the United States?

A: This is a rapidly evolving situation and the risk assessment may change daily.

Q: Is there a vaccine?

A: Currently, there is no vaccine available to protect against 2019-nCoV.

Farmville seeking assistance in investigation

The Farmville Police Department is seeking assistance from the Longwood campus community, as they investigate the reports of gunshots on Sunday, Jan. 12 at the McDonald’s on South Main Street. If you were present or in the vicinity of the gunshots and feel you have information or saw any of the events that evening, please call Investigating Sergeant David Ragland at 434-392-9259. Your information will be held in confidence. Thank you.

Update on report of gunshots

Campus community,

This evening Farmville Police and Longwood University Police responded to a report of gunshots near the intersection of Putney and Main streets. When police arrived on the scene, the suspects had already fled, and out of an abundance of caution, LUPD asked anyone on campus to stay inside in a secure location until police could ensure the grounds were safe and secure for the community to move around. No one was injured. Officers performed security checks on all campus buildings and grounds and announced campus was secured at 11:10 p.m. Farmville Police have recovered a weapon and detained a person of interest.

Notification

UPDATE: LUPD has secured campus, it is safe to move around. Police continue to investigate the incident, please continue to exercise caution.

Notification

UPDATE: LUPD is continuing to work to ensure campus is secure. Please stay inside until the lockdown is lifted.