Dear Southwestern community,
As you are aware, cases of COVID-19 continue to rise across the nation. This increase has long been predicted as people head indoors during the colder months and gather to celebrate the holidays, but the highly infectious omicron variant has only complicated matters.
All students must be tested for COVID-19 no earlier than five days before returning to campus in January. In addition, students should isolate after being tested and before arriving on campus. Students will not be allowed to return to campus unless a negative test result has been submitted. Additional information will be emailed to students from the Office of Student life in the coming days. The goal of this expectation is to detect cases before students engage with the campus community so we can prevent further spread and keep cases low again this spring.
In addition, when faculty, staff, and students return to campus in January, any person who is unvaccinated will be tested weekly. This is in line with President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine requirement that all businesses with 100 or more employees must ensure employees who are not fully vaccinated are tested weekly and wear a mask.
We strongly encourage you to receive the COVID-19 vaccination and booster shot if you have not already done so. For your convenience, we will be offering an on-site vaccine clinic on January 21, 2022. Pfizer and Moderna first, second, and booster shots will be available. More details will be available closer to the clinic date.
Please continue to take care of yourself and stay safe. We will promptly inform you of any changes we may need to make to our health and safety protocols to prioritize the safety of our students, faculty, and staff.
Sincerely,
