Dear Student,
We recognize that we have shared a lot of information with you since July regarding the university’s revised COVID-19 protocols. As always, you can review all of the current policies, procedures, and guidelines on the university’s coronavirus website.
Today, we are writing to clarify several items:
- If you feel ill, do not attend class or any other in-person activities until you have received a negative COVID-19 test. Faculty have been asked to accommodate your absence.
- Our procedures meet and exceed all local, state, and CDC guidelines.
- Contact tracing is different now than it was last year, when no one was vaccinated and we were all physically distancing and had few close contacts. Today, because of the sheer number of close contacts most individuals now may have and in the interest of speed, the contact tracers may reach out to you by email or text message rather than by phone.
- If you test positive and live off campus, you need to make your own arrangements for having food or meals delivered during your period of isolation and you should not leave your apartment unless you need to seek medical care. Dining Services is unable to fulfill any off-campus dining requests. However, there are many apps such as Uber Eats or Instacart that can be helpful.
As we approach the three-day weekend recognizing Indigenous People, please help us sustain the progress we have made in limiting the number of cases in our community. We remain in the midst of a pandemic and the numbers of new infections in the State have remained constant over the last several weeks.
Your personal choices and good judgment have made a big difference over the past month and will become even more important as the weather turns colder. Please continue to wear a facemask indoors in all settings on campus and off and avoid or significantly limit your attendance at indoor gatherings off campus, such as parties, nightclubs, or bars.
With appreciation,
Marie Caggiano, MD, MPH
Medical Director, Health Service
Michael R. Jordan, MD, MPH
University Infection Control Health Director
Camille Lizarríbar, JD, PhD
Dean of Student Affairs and Chief Student Affairs Officer for AS&E
