Southwest launches Back to Campus Plan; Macon Cove and Union Avenue campuses to reopen July 8

By Diana Fedinec

Southwest Tennessee Community College will reopen its Macon Cove and Union Avenue campuses July 8, 2020, under the College’s Back to Campus Plan – Phase I. Students and employees will finally set foot on the campuses since the closure of the College’s buildings and facilities March 20 due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Access to the College will be limited. As a community college, many of Southwest’s programs are skills-based and require extensive laboratory time. Students taking career and technical classes that require face-to-face instruction will be allowed on the campuses. Lecture based classes will remain online.  In addition, only essential employees and vendors will be permitted on campus. The College will not be open to visitors.  

To ensure the health and safety of students and employees, several mandatory protocols for monitoring health conditions have been implemented. Students and employees are encouraged to read the Back to Campus Plan and become familiar with check-in procedures to prevent any delays in attending classes and arriving to work on time. The plan details how to access the campus, safety precautions, attending classes and more.

Members of the College’s COVID-19 Task Force created the plan to align with guidelines proposed by the White House’s Opening Up America Again Plan, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Shelby County Health Department. 

Southwest is vigilantly monitoring the pandemic and will continue to update the plan as necessary in response to this global public health crisis.