March 11, 2020
Members of the DePaul community,
Late in the evening on March 9, it was reported that a patient with a confirmed case of COVID-19 had been working on the TV show "Next" at Cinespace Chicago Film Studios. The university holds classes and conducts prospective student tours in DePaul's facilities at Cinespace. We understand this may cause concern among the university community and wanted to provide the update below:
- Out of an abundance of caution, DePaul canceled classes at Cinespace on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (March 10-12) in order to give the university time to gather information and to determine what needed to be done to support faculty and students working and learning at the studio complex.
- DePaul's facilities at Cinespace are not near the stage where the "Next" television show had been filming. Students who use DePaul's facilities do not share public spaces, such as restrooms, with other sound stages.
- In the interest of taking preventive measures, Cinespace, including DePaul's facilities, have undergone a deep cleaning.
- Faculty members will be in touch with students affected by the cancelation to let them know of any changes in class schedules and locations.
- Because there are students and some faculty attending classes and working at Cinespace, we understand that people may be concerned regarding the question of incidental contact with the individual who tested positive for COVID-19. We have consulted with the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) and they have recommended following this Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidance:
CDC does not recommend self-quarantining or testing of "contacts of contacts." In general, unless you have been advised to do so, you do NOT need to self-quarantine. You should self-monitor for symptoms and stay home if sick. For more information on COVID-19 in Chicago, please visit: www.chicago.gov/coronavirus
The Task Force is continuing to gather information and to plan for responding to this wide-ranging and quickly-evolving situation and will provide updates regularly. Please visit: go.depaul.edu/covid for additional information.
Sincerely,
Jeff Bethke, Executive Vice President
Chair, COVID-19 Planning and Response Task Force