Ottawa County Department of Public Health "Staying in Place" order to expire; new "Staying Safe" order issued for GVSU students living in Allendale Township

The number of positive test results of COVID-19 in the GVSU community has shown a steady decline for the last two weeks. This encouraging trend comes as the "Staying in Place" order issued by the Ottawa County Department of Public Health (OCDPH) is scheduled to expire at 11:59 p.m. October 1.

To continue this trend, Grand Valley has worked with OCDPH to seamlessly move from this order to a new "Staying Safe" order, which lightens county regulations on GVSU students living and studying in Allendale Township.

The "Staying Safe" order begins October 2, 2020, and extends through October 16, 2020.

"It is gratifying to see that the partnership with the county and the university community is resulting in a dramatic decline in new cases," said President Philomena V. Mantella. "We understand the need to keep some restrictions in place to keep the number of cases decreasing, and we thank our students for following the direction from the public health officials."

Staying Safe order

• Up to four guests may visit student living units and residences, while observing strict preventive measures, including social distancing and wearing face coverings. Students living in on-campus housing also must abide by the Housing and Residence Life Guest Policy and Community Living Standards.
• For all indoor common areas on the Allendale Campus, students may not gather in groups greater than four people. This does not include classes or university-organized academic activities.
• All outdoor gatherings should not exceed 10 people. All should have face coverings except when eating or drinking. This 10-person-limit does not include gatherings organized by the university.
• Face coverings continue to be required indoors and outdoors. Students who are alone outside may choose not to wear a face covering, but should be prepared to immediately use it when encountering another person.

The full order can be found here. FAQs can be found here.

GVSU has support systems in place to help students with a variety of circumstances, including technology, food and mental health issues. Resources for employees are available through Human Resources on the Benefits and Wellness site. 

The university’s Call Center is available at (616) 331-INFO (4636). Personal health-related questions can be directed to the GVSU/Spectrum Health 24-hour call center at (833) 734-0020. Questions can also be directed to [email protected]