Novel Coronavirus Information

Walla Walla Community College is closely monitoring developments related to the Novel (new) Coronavirus (COVID-19) that was first detected in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China.  Cases are present in the United States, individuals in Washington State have been positively diagnosed, and regrettably there have been fatalities in Washington State from the disease.

Walla Walla Community College’s first and most important priority is the safety of our students and employees.  We have created an Incident Management Team that is in direct contact with the Walla Walla County Department of Community Health and we will be continually updating this page as new information becomes available.

There are no special or protective actions or orders currently in place for the Walla Walla or Clarkston areas at this time.  However, to keep our community healthy, please follow standard preventative measures such as:

• Stay home when you are sick and/or running a fever.
• Frequent hand washing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating, and after blowing your nose. If hands are visibly dirty, use soap and water to clean hands.
• If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
• Avoid touching eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Cover coughs or sneezes with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash and clean hands with soap and water or hand sanitizer (if soap and water are not readily available).

At this time, the Walla Walla County Department of Community Health has identified a presumed positive case of COVID-19 in Oregon. While the person is an Oregon resident, they are hospitalized in Walla Walla, Washington. A copy of this release can be found here OR on the Oregon Health Authority Facebook page.

This is a rapidly evolving situation, and updates are available from the Washington State Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), including updated Travel Notices for countries with community transmission.