Bladen Community College, in coordination with the Bladen County Department of Public Health and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS), is closely monitoring Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).

More information can be found on the Coronavirus FAQs page.

What is Coronavirus?

This information comes from the CDC:

“This new Coronavirus is a respiratory disease that was first detected in China and has now been detected in more than 100 locations internationally, including in the United States. The virus has been named ‘SARS-CoV-2,’ and the disease it causes has been named ‘coronavirus disease 2019’ (abbreviated ‘COVID-19’).

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that are common in people and many different species of animals, including camels, cattle, cats, and bats. Rarely, animal coronaviruses can infect people and then spread between people such as with MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV, and now with this new virus (SARS-CoV-2).”

Prevention methods

To protect from respiratory illnesses it’s recommend taking the following daily precautions:

• Wash hands with soap and water often for at least 20 seconds each time. Key times are after using the bathroom, before eating, and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing. Apply alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60-percent alcohol only if water and soap are unavailable.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Maintain a distance of at least six feet from other people, whether they are ill or not.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Then, discard the used tissue.
• Clean and disinfect surfaces that are frequently touched, including telephones, keyboards, doorknobs, etc. Facility Services asks that no bleach-based or ammonia-based products be used to clean surfaces while on campus.
• Healthy individuals do not need to wear a face mask to protect themselves from respiratory diseases. It is recommended that those exhibiting symptoms wear a face mask when interacting with others.

As of March 19, the College and all its campuses are closed for the foreseeable future.

Once normal operations resume, any student or employee who is feeling ill is asked to stay home and notify their instructor or supervisor. Employees should direct all questions about sick leave to their supervisor.

College-wide preparations

As of March 19, no student should report to campus unless otherwise notified. While the campus is closed, please contact your appropriate city or county agency to report an emergency medical call.

Facility Services is working with the College’s cleaning service to enhance routine cleaning and to explore options for additional sanitation responses. All cleaning solutions are peroxide-based and should kill viruses on contact.

As we monitor the situation and explore options for additional cleaning, some employees may consider using disinfectant wipes or disinfectant spray in their classrooms or areas. Facility Services has asked employees to follow the instructions below when cleaning College property or an area on campus including classrooms, conference rooms, common areas, etc.:

• Please don’t use bleach-based or ammonia-based cleaning products.
• Employees and students may use wipes on learning surfaces, computer keyboards, phones, doorknobs, or other commonly used areas. Do not use sprays on electronic devices that are plugged in.
• When using disinfectant spray bottles, please use a fine mist spray with an alcohol content of at least 70 percent.

To report a facilities issue, such as a broken soap dispenser, or for questions about Facility Services, contact your  Supervisor.

Students

As of March 19, no student should be reporting to campus for the forseeable future.

Once normal operations resume, students are asked to use the above prevention methods to ensure their safety and the safety of their peers and the College’s employees.

As with influenza (flu), any student exhibiting any sign of the Coronavirus should not come to campus and should contact their instructor and their health care provider. Students who have been diagnosed with the flu or Coronavirus should keep their instructor informed as to the progress of their condition.

Students should contact their instructor for questions regarding their clinical, fieldwork, or work-based learning or general course work.

International travelers

We understand that the College community may have questions about families or students traveling internationally. Health organizations – not BCC – identify international travelers who may have been exposed to the Coronavirus (COVID-19). If health officials have not placed someone under quarantine, they are allowed to be at Bladen Community College.

The CDC, federal and state health departments are aware of international travelers as they enter the United States. Health officials determine whether international travelers must be quarantined and monitor that process. Once health officials release a traveler from quarantine, they are deemed to not be contagious and can resume their normal activities, including coming to campus.

Bladen Community College employees are responsible for creating and fostering a safe and welcoming environment. The CDC has included information about issues of stigma and misinformation regarding international populations. Please consult the CDC’s information below when responding to these issues.

“Fear and anxiety can lead to social stigma towards Chinese or other Asian-Americans. Stigma and discrimination can occur when people associate an infectious disease, such as COVID-19, with a population or nationality, even though not everyone in that population or from that region is specifically at risk for the disease (for example, Chinese-Americans and other Asian-Americans living in the United States).

Stigma hurts everyone by creating more fear or anger towards ordinary people instead of the disease that is causing the problem. We can fight stigma and help not hurt others by providing social support. We can communicate the facts that being Chinese or Asian American does not increase the chance of getting or spreading COVID-19.”