Lake Washington Institute of Technology closed through weekend after faculty member tests positive for COVID-19

KIRKLAND, Wash. -- The Lake Washington Institute of Technology will be closed for the rest of the week after a faculty member tested positive for novel coronavirus.

The college reopened Wednesday morning after being closed for two days for sanitization after a group of students and faculty visited the Life Care Center in Kirkland. The nursing facility has seen an outbreak of COVID-19 cases, and eight of the ten deaths in Washington state are linked to the facility, officials said.

A statement issued Wednesday evening by LW Tech President Dr. Amy Morrison says the campus was closed again as of 5:30 p.m. and it will remain closed through the weekend.

"We made this decision swiftly, to continue disinfecting the college while no students, faculty and staff were on campus, and to provide us time to get a clear sense of who could have been exposed," Morrison said.

Morrison says that the faculty member, as well as 21 other students, faculty and staff, have been self-quarantined after the recent visit to Life Care.

She said a student who was also tested is negative for COVID-19 and that those quarantined "are reporting to us that they are all doing well."