As LATC fall semester begins August 17th, Cartney says “we will detect positive cases”

August 13, 2020

WATERTOWN, S.D.–Lake Area Technical College (LATC) will begin the much anticipated fall semester on Monday, August 17. With a projected increase in enrollment and the current COVID-19 circumstances, Lake Area Tech College has a solid plan in place to safeguard at-risk students and staff and keep students moving forward in face-to-face education.

The state of South Dakota is providing LATC with rapid testing capabilities for COVID-19 using the Abbott ID NOW system. This rapid testing system COVID-19 will be managed by Prairie Lakes Healthcare System, Sanford Clinic, Brown Clinic and Quick Care, all located in Watertown, and will help Lake Area Technical College implement their rapid testing protocol.

The college will be actively screening and testing students and staff to identify, track and mitigate the virus on campus. Lake Area Tech College President, Mike Cartney says, “We anticipate with students coming from different locations, we will detect positive cases. We want the community to be aware that this will happen and that we are confident we have a solid plan in place to address those cases and allow us to proceed with our fall semester. The severity of the cases, not the number of cases, will be important.”

Lake Area Tech College will provide facial coverings for all students and staff, hand sanitizer, implement social distancing using a “bubble” concept, frequent deep cleaning and sanitization, and many other extensive details are being utilized to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 on campus.