Our staff is paying close attention to resident concerns, Washington state guidelines, and Cornish leadership as we cope with the current pandemic. We are continually evaluating our options and considering what is necessary to ensure the safety of our residents and our communities.
To keep you informed on our current status and progress, please watch this page and pay close attention to any emails we may send you. Thank you!
LATEST ANNOUNCEMENTS
Our building follows higher education and school housing guidelines, which may differ from guidelines for other housing or local businesses. We will continue to take any necessary measures to ensure healthy and safe communities for our residents and staff. Our team is tracking and evaluating local King County updates on a regular basis, and we will inform residents directly when our protocols change.
If you have questions, please contact us at housing@cornish.edu and we will do our best to assist. For more information, exceptions, and instructions regarding this directive, see this page at King County’s government website.
July 13, 2021: While many of our protocols are still being evaluated, we are planning on maintaining our face mask policy at the start of the Fall 2021 semester. Please plan on wearing a suitable face covering while within the building. This includes both residents and their helpers on move-in day, as well as continued mask-wearing while residents are in any part of Cornish Commons other than their residential room. Please cooperate with this protocol unless and until we have announced that we are ending it. Thank you!
May 17, 2021: The 20th floor open-air deck is currently open for a limited number of residents at a time. We are currently evaluating having other 20th floor amenities open to a limited capacity of residents in Fall 2021. We have been able to open one practice room for limited reservation as well. At this time, we anticipate no changes to our guest restrictions. Please closely follow instituted rules for both spaces to maintain the safety of our community while using these amenities.
For more detail on our currently implemented measures, please continue to read below:
BUILDING CLOSURES
| Amenity | Status | Other Information |
| 20th Floor Lounge | Limited | |
| 20th Floor Kitchen | Limited | MicroFridges (combination mini-fridge and microwave) are provided to standard rooms. Kitchenette room upgrades can be made on request depending on availability. |
| Laundry Room | Open | Please follow social distancing guidelines during use. |
| Floor Lounges | Limited | |
| Fitness Room | Limited | |
| Practice Rooms | Limited | One 20th floor practice room is currently open. Other practice rooms remain closed. Reservations are available for 1-hour sessions on CourseDog and are still subject to several limitations. These limitations allow us to disinfect our practice room regularly. Please visit our open 20th floor practice room for more details. |
| 20th Floor Deck | Open | 8AM – 10PM only. Face coverings must be worn at all times. Food and beverages are not allowed. Max occupancy: six (6) individuals. |
| 1st & 2nd Floor Lounges | Closed | |
| On-Call Phone | Open | Our protocols now reflect social distancing measures, but we are always on call and available to help. |
| Welcome Desk | Open | Our staff is available to assist you. You may also email or call us for regular residential needs and concerns. Our staff is available to assist you. You may also email or call us for regular residential needs and concerns. |
INFORMATION & GUIDELINES
CDC COVID-19 Quick Facts
Download for some quick information from the Center for Disease Control about Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) that is relevant to you and our community.
coronavirus info sheet.pdf
Adobe Acrobat Document – 324.8 KB
HANDWASHING
Cornish Commons strongly recommends following handwashing guidelines as a primary way of preventing the transmission of illness. Handwashing should be performed frequently, especially after being in public or touching shared surfaces.
For more information about handwashing, please visit this CDC webpage.
FACE COVERAGE
The Center for Disease Control currently recommends the use of washable cloth face coverings for the protection of yourself and others.
- You could spread COVID-19 to others even if you do not feel sick.
- Everyone should wear a cloth face cover when they have to go out in public, for example to the grocery store or to pick up other necessities. Our common spaces in the building count as “public” for the purposes of this guideline.
- Cloth face coverings should not be placed on young children under age 2, anyone who has trouble breathing, or is unconscious, incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance.
- The cloth face cover is meant to protect other people in case you are infected.
- Do NOT use a facemask meant for a healthcare worker.
- Continue to keep about 6 feet between yourself and others. The cloth face cover is not a substitute for social distancing.
Face coverings can be made by hand, whether sewn or made from a common item such as a handkerchief or t-shirt. If possible, Cornish Commons recommends using one to the best of your ability.
For more information on using and making face coverings, please visit this CDC webpage.
SOCIAL DISTANCING
Our staff is following social distancing measures for the protection of our community, and we encourage our residents to do the same. Social distancing means:
- Stay at least 6 feet (about 2 arms’ length) from other people
- Do not gather in groups
- Stay out of crowded places and avoid mass gatherings
Activities and areas of the building which encourage social gathering are currently being closed or restricted at this time. The building is equipped with strong Wi-Fi that will support remote work and remote study needs, such as teleconferencing.
We thank all of you who are doing your best to prevent the potential transmission of illness within our community.
WELCOME DESK SERVICES
To continue monitoring building access, our security team is currently staffing our building entrance 24/7 from the Welcome Desk. Our regular Welcome Desk services have transitioned to remote access for the safety of our student and professional staff, but help is still available.
Please contact us for your regular residential concerns, or any services that would normally be performed by Welcome Desk staff. Email us any time at housing@cornish.edu. You can always call us at 206.315.5852 or use the on-call phone number provided to you at move-in.
GUEST RESTRICTIONS
At this time we are not allowing residents to have guests visit them in the Commons.
Additionally, residents are not allowed to have more than one resident visit them in their rooms. If a resident visits another room, all occupants must wear face coverings for the full duration of the visit.
STRATEGIES TO CLEAN AND PROTECT
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
- Handwash regularly (see above guidelines)
- Practice social distancing
- Clean with soap and water before disinfecting
- Pay special attention to cleaning commonly used surfaces
- Run laundry as needed to clean and remove germs
- Wear gloves and open windows while using disinfectants
- When handwashing is unavailable, use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol content
- Take care of yourself
- Check in with friends, family and loved ones through remote means
WHAT WE ARE DOING:
- Practicing handwashing, social distancing, and other CDC recommendations
- Waiting at least 7 days before entering and cleaning vacant rooms
- Increasing frequency of disinfecting high-touch surfaces throughout the building
- Cleaning and disinfecting resources such as blue bins
- Creating move-out and move-in protocols that encourage social distancing and prevent crowding
- Providing single-occupancy rooms
- Working remotely where possible
- Training staff on necessary cleaning techniques
CORNISH COLLEGE OF THE ARTS RESPONSE
Cornish has been staying on top of all the most asked questions about this year. Cornish Commons and Cornish staff are committed to assuring your health and safety on our campus. For questions about your day-to-day school life, your classes, your labs and performances, and all your other concerns, start here!
