Stay the Course this Fall

A Message from Dr. Pierner, BTC President

This week marks the official start of the fall season. As the days turn shorter and temps begin to drop, our region’s COVID-19 infection rates are on the rise. Therefore, it is important that we take a few moments to revisit our safety protocols.

• Facemasks are required to be worn appropriately inside all Blackhawk locations.
• Facemasks should also be worn outside when you are not physically distancing.
• Face shields and neck gaiters are not permitted as there is not enough scientific evidence to prove their ability to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
• Eating and drinking are only allowed in designated areas.
• Practice physical distancing at all times; including when outside.
• In hands-on classes where physical distancing is not possible, additional PPE should be worn.
• Sanitize shared workspaces before and after use.
• Sanitize hands throughout the day.
• All of us should self-monitor for symptoms of COVID-19 and should stay home if we are not feeling well.

As a College, we are seeing rising rates of exposure among our students and employees. The incident management team investigates all cases related to COVID-19, including positive cases and exposures, and informs any faculty, staff, or student who may be impacted. We will continue to monitor the situation closely in coordination with public health department officials. The combination of strict adherence to our protocols combined with a facilities team doing an outstanding job at sanitizing areas of the college has prevented any confirmed community spread on any of the BTC campuses.  We thank you all for your commitment.

For everyone’s health and safety, it is important that we do not let our guards down; that we consistently follow safety protocols. While we continue to take steps to minimize the spread of COVID-19 on our campuses, we will only be successful at slowing the spread if we are all diligent in following all of our safety protocols.

We appreciate the role that everyone plays in keeping the Blackhawk Technical College community safe. Together, we are part of the solution and we are Blackhawk Strong.