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Longwood University reported in a Saturday, March 14, message to the university community that tests came back negative for the coronavirus COVID-19 for two Longwood students who had entered a 14-day self quarantine.

Following one Longwood student receiving a presumptive positive COVID-19 result, as announced Wednesday, March 11, the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) conducted a careful investigation to identify anyone in the Longwood community deemed at sufficient risk of exposure to warrant further steps such as self-quarantine, assessment and testing, the message stated. As a result, two additional students entered a 14-day self-quarantine.

“VDH has today, March 14, reported that any identified contacts who met criteria for testing have now received results and been confirmed as negative for COVID-19,” officials said in the message. “Additionally, according to VDH, there currently have been no further positive test results reported in our local community or in the commonwealth’s Piedmont Health District.”

The Piedmont Health District serves counties including Buckingham, Charlotte, Cumberland, Lunenburg and Prince Edward.

“While this is good news,” officials said of the negative test results, “as transmission increases nationwide and in Virginia, we continue to expect the appearance of COVID-19 cases here in Farmville and ask any community members, wherever they are, to continue to take the recommended precautions, including hand-washing and social distancing.”

The message concluded by noting those who continue to have questions or concerns can call the local VDH office at (434) 392-3984 or Longwood’s University Health Service at (434) 395-2102. Locally, Centra has now set up a hotline at (434) 200-1225 which they are asking community members to call before coming to their local facilities with concerns.​