I am grateful for the participation in recent forums as well as the feedback that has been shared with me through email and in-person meetings with the President’s Cabinet and the COVID-19 Leadership Team. I have used this feedback, as well as recent data for the State of Texas and Guadalupe County, which are showing a steady decline in the number of daily COVID cases and positive test rates, to inform my decisions.
These indicators, including a decline in the number of TLU active cases and individuals in quarantine, have led me to make the following changes to our COVID protocols effective Monday, Feb. 28:
· Masks are strongly encouraged but no longer mandatory in all indoor or outdoor spaces.
o Individual faculty members may continue to require masks in classrooms, labs, or other academic activities and events throughout the semester.
o Staff members who choose to continue wearing a mask should be supported in their decision. If you are entering their office or workspace, we recommend asking them if they would like you to wear a mask as well. Please respect their preferences since you do not know their personal health situation.
o Students who choose to continue wearing a mask should be supported in their choice as well. If someone is wearing a mask, please take this a sign that they are wanting to protect themselves, a family member, friend, and you, so please respect their choice to wear a mask.
o Visitors are not required to wear masks, but masks will continue to be available.
· Vaccination and exemption reporting for all faculty, staff, and students is still required. At this time, you are not required to report a booster, but it is strongly recommended.
· Capacity limits in all campus venues remain at 75% but may be raised before the end of the semester.
· Testing will continue for student-athletes as required by our athletic conference. Students who want a COVID test should contact the TLU Student Health and Wellness Center in the Hahn Annex (formerly the CSL) at healthservices@tlu.edu.
· Isolation and quarantine procedures remain the same:
o Students, faculty, and staff should continue reporting positive test results to Student Health & Wellness at healthservices@tlu.edu.
o If you test positive for COVID, you must isolate for 5 days regardless of vaccination status. If you have no symptoms or your symptoms are resolved after 5 days, you can leave your house but should continue to wear a mask around others for another 5 days. If you have a fever, continue to stay home until your fever resolves.
o If you have been directly exposed to COVID but you have been boosted or completed the series for Pfizer or Moderna vaccine in the last 6 months or completed the series of J&J vaccine within the last 2 months, you need to wear a mask around others for 10 days and test on day 5. If you develop symptoms, get a test and stay home.
o If you have been directly exposed to COVID but you completed the series for Pfizer or Moderna over 6 months ago and you aren’t boosted, or completed the series of J&J over 2 months ago and aren’t boosted, or you aren’t vaccinated, you must stay home for 5 days and continue to wear a mask around others for another 5 days. If you can’t quarantine, you must wear a mask for 10 days and test on day 5.
o Faculty members should continue to provide learning alternatives for students who need to isolate or quarantine and provide accommodations for students who have been identified by the Student Health and Wellness Center as members of a vulnerable community.
These updated policies have been made based on the following factors:
· There is a steady decline in COVID case numbers, positive test results, and hospitalizations in the State of Texas, Guadalupe County, and on the TLU campus.
· We have high vaccination rates on campus with 89% of faculty and staff vaccinated and 77% of students vaccinated.
· Vaccines and boosters are readily available and there is increased accessibility to testing.
· Advances are being made every day in the area of COVID treatments.
· There is some natural immunity from previous COVID infections, including the high number of people who have recently recovered from the Omicron infection.
· We have the ability to carefully adjust our protocols if necessary.
While we may not be united on how we manage life with COVID, I know we agree that we want to keep each other healthy and our family and friends safe and healthy. We can do that by getting COVID boosters, staying home when we aren’t feeling well, reporting positive COVID test results to healthservices@tlu.edu, practicing good hygiene and respiratory etiquette, social distancing when possible, and respecting other’s choices on how they protect themselves and manage their personal health risks.
I want to thank all of you for your vigilance in helping TLU manage through the pandemic to this point and offer a special thanks for the opinions and concerns shared in the past week. I also want to thank the COVID-19 Leadership Team for their ongoing work and coordination with the President’s Cabinet on the many issues the pandemic has presented. That team will continue to meet and assess our current environment and make recommendations as needed to the President’s Cabinet, with appropriate updates provided to the full TLU community.
Thank you again,
President Cottrell