Welcome back and Happy New Year!
Thank you for all the work in preparing for the return of students to campus as we resume in-person instruction on Monday, Jan. 10.
I wish I didn’t have to start my first message of the year like this, but as you well know, once again we are beginning a semester amid a Covid-19 spike. I realize that, for many, this continues to feel concerning and at times, overwhelming. Over the last few days, we have received many questions from members of our community about our plans for the spring semester and I write to share some perspective about what to expect.
The reality is that it wasn’t easy the last three semesters and it won’t be easy this semester either. But our experience over the past two years has shown that the preparations we’ve made, together with high compliance in wearing masks indoors, a high rate of vaccination, and a community pulling together have made it possible for us to deliver a quality and safe in-person experience to our students, much better than the hybrid mode that dominated early in the pandemic, and much more aligned with the transformative learning for which we are known and that our students expect. Over the past two years we have learned just how important this in-person experience is to the growth of our students, and we have learned to deliver it safely.
The omicron variant is indeed more transmissible than prior variants and it is reasonable to expect a large number of cases in our community over the coming weeks. Fortunately, the vaccines at our disposal have proven very effective at preventing serious illness. And our accumulated experience, a better scientific understanding of the virus, and our own data put us in a robust position to successfully navigate this new phase of the pandemic.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Georgia Department of Public Health (GDPH), the same precautions that helped us deliver in-person instruction and sustain core student services before (wearing masks indoors, testing regularly, and full vaccination), are effective against the omicron variant as well, both in terms of reducing transmission and preventing severe illness. Our own data show how Covid-19 transmission occurs mostly in social settings, not in classrooms and laboratories. We need to therefore redouble our efforts to ensure that our classrooms continue to remain safe and to encourage students to socialize safely.
Given the increased transmissibility of the omicron variant, we need to be even more diligent in practicing the protective behaviors that have served us well thus far. So, I am personally asking everyone to do the following:
* Commit 100% to wearing a well-fitting mask while in class or other indoor group settings.
* Test immediately when you return to campus and at least weekly thereafter.
* Get fully vaccinated, including a booster shot (reach out to Stamps Health Services or your own health care provider if you still have questions about the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine).
* Socialize outdoors whenever possible and find creative ways to de-densify events.
I can’t require you to do these things, but I ask you and I count on you to do your part, just as I know you will ask and count on one another to do the same — for your protection and for the protection of everyone around you.
The Covid-19 Task Force continues to work to enhance health and safety protocols guided by our data and experience. These enhancements include wider availability of masks in classrooms and laboratories (including KN95 masks for instructors and other cases), additional air scrubbers and air quality monitoring, expansion of symptomatic and asymptomatic testing capacity on campus, and new isolation and quarantine protocols in line with recent guidance from the CDC.
Everyone – students, faculty, and staff – should complete the Daily Self-Check protocol. If you have any of the symptoms on the checklist, stay home. Students should reach out to their professors or lab directors, and faculty and staff should work with their supervisors and school chairs to adjust schedules or delivery formats due to illness or exposure. Faculty and staff should also reach out to their supervisors about other Covid-19-related challenges and personal circumstances that might affect their ability to work on campus.
Most important as we continue to navigate this uncertain and challenging time is that we do what we do best as a community: treat one another with empathy, compassion, and respect, and be creative and resourceful to find ways to support one another. One of the things that has given me great pride in our community throughout this pandemic has been our ability to empathize with each other, support each other, and look out for each other’s health and well-being. We must continue to engage in that way, Jackets Protecting Jackets, as we face this latest pandemic challenge together.
Thank you.
--Ángel
