Dear RVU Family,
The COVID-19 Response Team (CRT) met yesterday to discuss our phased mitigation strategy to keep our community safe during the Omicron surge. Due to high community transmission rates, the safety standards issued on December 29, 2021 will remain in place through February 4th. As a reminder these standards are:
Safety Standards
- A mask mandate for all indoor public spaces on campus will be enforced. Please wear a surgical, N-95, KN-95, or similar mask to protect yourself and others around you. In the past week, we have seen this relaxed a bit and want to urge you to please be vigilant in wearing a mask while on campus.
- For those who are fully vaccinated (please see below for additional information), masks may be removed in private offices or study rooms when studying alone.
- Faculty and staff who have been working remotely (with their manager’s permission) are encouraged to continue doing so.
- Only two students maximum per study room.
- Fitness centers will remain closed.
- While meetings can be held in person, no food will be permitted and masks will be required.
- If you have any symptoms of COVID or experience a positive exposure, stay home and fill out an attestation form. The Medical Directors of the CRT can contact you for further instructions.
- If you have a positive COVID test, stay home and complete a contact tracing form.
- Please stay home if you are sick.
Up-to-Date Vaccination Status
An individual is considered up-to-date when they have received a booster shot, when eligible, in addition to their two doses of the Moderna/Pfizer vaccine or the Johnson & Johnson single dose vaccine. You are eligible for a vaccine booster 5 months after the Moderna/Pfizer two dose series, or two months after the Johnson & Johnson single dose vaccine. A booster shot plays an important role in preventing unnecessary absences from both work and school due to quarantine.
Free COVID Tests and N95 Masks
The Biden Administration recently announced that free at-home rapid tests will be available to the public for free. You can order the tests at the following link: https://www.covidtests.gov/. According to the website, “every home in the U.S. is eligible to order four free at-home COVID-19 tests.” Order for the tests will ship in 7-12 days. Please note: only one order of four tests is allowed per mailing address and the order is only for antigen at-home tests.
In addition, the Biden Administration is set to distribute 400 million N95 masks nationwide, for free. Three (3) masks will be made available per person at pharmacies and other locations starting next week.
Quarantine and Isolation Data
As a reminder, RVU Medical Officers are using the updated guidelines from the CDC that were most recently issued on January 9th. The guidelines have shortened the isolation and quarantine time to 5 days with return to work/school if you are fever free without fever reducers and symptoms are improved. These guidelines can be found here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/quarantine-isolation.html.
Professionally yours,
The COVID-19 Response Team
