After a period of sustained control, the pandemic has again reared its ugly head. In both Florida and Sarasota county, it’s worse than it has ever been with the seven-day rolling average for new daily cases exceeding 16,000 every day in Florida since Aug. 1. The previous peak in a day was 15,692 on Jan. 10. In response, Vice President of Finance & Administration Chris Kinsley began writing weekly COVID-19 updates on Aug. 18 and will continue to release new ones each Wednesday.

 “More frequently if needed, until the situation changes,” Kinsley says.

Three updates have been released so far and can be found at ncf.edu/covid-19/. The content of these updates includes information on the state of the pandemic, specifically in Sarasota and the surrounding counties, how many students are currently testing positive, the rate of vaccination among both students and staff and resources for controlling the pandemic. These resources include free COVID-19 testing outside Sudakoff Conference Center from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesdays and information on how to get vaccinated at the University of South Florida vaccination site. Kinsley also stressed the “significant number of students, faculty and staff members who have not provided either a negative COVID-19 Test or proof of vaccination.”

To stay up-to-date on not just the state of the pandemic, but how it specifically and minutely affects on-campus activities and organization, the weekly updates provide succinct and timely resources for Novos as the pandemic rolls on in New College’s periphery.