By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
Barton Community College Vice President of Administration Mark Dean told the college’s board of trustees Tuesday that Barton is seeing the same issues as everyone else when it comes to COVID-19…increased cases.
Dean pointed out
that Barton is fortunate compared to other junior colleges across the state
with significant lower COVID numbers, but illness is still popping up more as
of late.
"With the CDC, KDHE and the Barton County Health Department's changes with contact tracing, we're seeing increased numbers here," said Dean. "We do have fewer quarantines but a few more isolations than we've had in the past."
Dean said the college recently had a department of seven employees that had
four employees out because of COVID effects.
While there are no requirements to
become vaccinated at Barton, Dean felt many of the students chose to get their
shot.
"A large number of students are vaccinated," said Dean. "Part of that has to do with the travel requirements these students have. They have to be vaccinated or they can't go anywhere."
The college went from having one or two COVID cases, between staff and
students, to now having anywhere from a dozen to 20 cases.