Community Member Tests Positive for COVID-19; Buildings Closing in Response to Workforce Directive

March 21, 2020​

Albany Law School Community:

I write with two pieces of news.

First, a member of our community has tested positive for COVID-19. This person has not been on campus since before spring break and believes the coronavirus disease was contracted while traveling. I can report that this person is doing well. This individual continues to be in my thoughts, and I'd ask that we all send good wishes for a fast recovery.

Second, yesterday, Governor Andrew Cuomo issued a workforce directive. In response, the law school—both the 1928 Building and the 2000 Building—will close at 8 p.m. Sunday, March 22. You have already been notified that the library will close as of 5 p.m. Saturday.

It was our sincere hope that Albany Law School's buildings would remain open, so long as our campus remained a safe place during this unprecedented crisis.

This is hard. We kept the buildings open for good reasons. And while we already moved the majority of our operations online, we had staff willing to be on site for our students. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced our school—all schools across the state and the nation—to pivot quickly and take difficult measures for the health and safety of everyone.

We are doing our best to anticipate the implications of this order, which have an impact on students, faculty, and staff.

• If you rely upon access to our campus for WiFi—for your online courses or your job—please email helpdesk@albanylaw.edu.
• If you have personal items on campus, please retrieve them before Sunday at 8 p.m. Remember hygiene and social distancing rules are in effect—sanitize or wash your hands upon entry and keep at least six feet away from anyone you encounter. If you cannot come to campus before then, please email Brian LaPlante at blapl@albanylaw.edu.
• If home is not a safe place for you, or if the closure of our campus creates a hardship in any other way, please email one of your deans.

We will do our best for you. We will work together to find solutions. Our buildings will be closed for the foreseeable future; when the Governor's order is lifted, and it is safe to reopen our buildings, we will be in touch.

To our staff: your supervisors will be in touch with further directions and additional details on the operations of your departments.

Thank you for your continued patience and trust. As a reminder, I plan to be on Zoom every day at 4:30 p.m. to check in and answer your questions.

All my best,

Alicia Ouellette
President and Dean