ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA – As Winthrop University works toward safely welcoming students back in August, a partnership with Atrium Health will ensure students have additional access to required face coverings.
Atrium Health, Winthrop Athletics’ largest sponsor, is donating 10,000 face coverings to the university. The Division of Student Affairs will provide students with health kits that include a reusable face covering among other items. The disposable, non-branded face coverings from Atrium Health will serve as an extra precaution when someone loses or forgets one. The face coverings will be available for pick up at multiple locations across campus.
“We are extremely grateful for our longstanding partnership with Atrium Health and its generosity at this critical time. We can’t thank Atrium enough for its commitment to the safety and health concerns of Winthrop and the surrounding community,” said Interim President George Hynd. “The health and safety of our campus is our highest priority as evidenced by the hard work of faculty, staff and senior leadership in developing and implementing our three-phased campus re-opening initiative,” Hynd said. “Together with patience and support, we will continue to navigate the unpredictability of this health crisis.”
The donation to Winthrop is part of Atrium Health’s larger effort to distribute up to two million complimentary face coverings throughout the communities that make up the greater Charlotte area.
“We know wearing a mask can save lives, not just yours but those closest to you like your friends, family and neighbors. Together, we can beat this deadly disease by doing simple things like masking up,” said David Callaway, chief of operational and disaster medicine at Atrium Health. “As part of our Million Mask public-private initiative, Atrium Health is committed to getting both small businesses and schools back open safely. We are thankful that Winthrop University is stressing the importance of wearing a mask. Atrium Health recognizes the challenges everyone is facing right now and we are proud to partner with Winthrop to help ensure students return as safely as possible.”
Winthrop is requiring all faculty, staff and students to wear face coverings in social settings, such as in all university buildings, including classrooms, residence halls and dining facilities, and in outdoor spaces on campus where appropriate social distancing cannot be guaranteed. Face coverings are not required when alone in private offices, when alone in on-campus residence hall rooms and when not in close contact with another person.
Atrium Health may consider evaluating the distribution of additional face coverings to Winthrop depending on need and supplies.
View Winthrop’s response to COVID-19 at www.winthrop.edu/emergency/coronavirus.
