To Parents, Friends and Alumni visiting Carleton College:

Carleton is excited to host alumni, families and friends for the upcoming Commencement and Reunion activities. At the same time, we realize there may be some questions regarding the College’s preparations in regards to the H1N1 novel influenza virus, as a large number of people will be traveling from across the country to our campus.

College officials continue to monitor the situation closely and we wanted to communicate about the College’s preparations. As part of our Pandemic Flu Preparation Team Planning and consistent with guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), we recommend staying home if you are ill with flu-like symptoms. The CDC has recently released new and updated guidelines, “What to Do If You Get Flu-Like Symptoms.” The purpose of the guidelines is to stop the spread of flu, both during this time of the H1N1 flu virus and during future incidents. These can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/sick.htm.

You can also keep updated on the College’s plans by checking Carleton’s influenza page (https://apps.carleton.edu/campus/flu/) for the latest updates from the Minnesota Department of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and the College.

If you or a member of your travel party exhibits flu-like symptoms during your stay in Northfield, there are a number of local resources available to you: Allina Medical Clinic (507-663-9000), the Family Health Medical Clinic (507-646-1494), Northfield Urgent Care (507-664-9999) and the Northfield Hospital Emergency Room (507-646-1000).

As always, the best thing to do is prevent yourself from catching H1N1 or any other flu. Follow the guidelines set forth by the CDC (http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/habits.htm): Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze; wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze, and alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective; avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth; and try to avoid close contact with sick people. Also do not share your beverages, and do not drink from the same glass or bottle with another person. During campus events, several hand sanitizer stations at the various food venues (dining halls and tents) will be available.