The Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center presented a detailed COVID‑19 transition plan and a set of operational protocols and equipment installed to reduce viral transmission and prepare the facility for phased reopening.

Nikki Raleigh, the center’s IT manager, and Hannah Bridal, the center’s director of meetings and events (video presentation), summarized the measures. Bridal said guests are directed to use the main entrance, face coverings are required and single‑use masks are available at the information desk. Guests can use temperature monitoring kiosks upon entry, and signage and monitored digital displays reinforce masking and six‑foot distancing.

Raleigh and Bridal described touchless restroom fixtures, foot pulls on exit doors, touchless water bottle filling stations, and social‑distancing table tents in classrooms. The center added Clorox Total 360 electrostatic sprayers for room sanitation, UV disinfecting lamps that sanitize a room in about 15 minutes, and V‑Ray UVC sanitizers for small objects. The video demonstration stated the electrostatic system is EPA‑approved and can sanitize up to 18,000 square feet per hour.

The center distributed reusable masks and face shields to employees, provided single‑use masks to facility partners, and supplied disinfecting wipes, sprays, gloves and hand sanitizer to building residents. Staff also prepared documentation for pandemic operations: a COVID‑19 sanitation checklist, a daily wellness self‑check form for employees and contractors, a client COVID‑19 usage acknowledgement form for renters, and a positive‑test notification and cleaning checklist.

Matlock said the transition team continuously reviews CDC, Virginia Department of Health, Virginia Department of Labor and Industry guidance and executive orders. The center posted its infectious‑disease preparedness and response plan on its website and invited trustees to review the plan and the implemented measures.