To Our Faculty, Staff and Students:
We hope that all of you enjoyed a safe, healthy and restorative winter break and look forward to a new semester where new vaccines have the potential to begin to slow COVID-19鈥檚 spread before its end.
Unfortunately, we begin 2021 with news that December was the nation鈥檚 worst month for COVID-19 infections (6.4 million) and deaths (just over 77,000)鈥攁nd expert warnings that January and February may be the pandemic鈥檚 worst yet.
Given that sobering context, Case Western Reserve will continue to require weekly COVID-19 testing for all faculty, staff and students who come to campus鈥攅ven if only for a short time on a single day.
Starting tomorrow (Monday, Jan. 4), the university鈥檚 COVID-19 testing site in the Veale Convocation, Recreation and 365bet体育在线世界杯hletic Center will be open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Those who wish to schedule an appointment can do so at , while walk-ins are welcome up to 20 minutes before the end of testing that day.
Please remember not to eat, drink (including water), chew gum or vape for at least 30 minutes before your test, and do not come to the testing site if you have any COVID-19 symptoms (including sore throat, runny nose, fatigue or fever).
In addition, the university鈥檚 work-from-home guidance continues through Friday, Jan. 8. We are aware of Ohio鈥檚 decision to through Jan. 23, and will update the community later this week regarding the university鈥檚 plans for that time period.
This practice means that anyone who can perform their work from home should continue to do so. Those who need to come to campus for specific reasons should keep time on campus as brief as possible, and follow all university health and safety protocols while here. Those with questions should consult with their supervisors鈥攐r, in the case of students, their program leaders or advisors.
Some of you have inquired regarding quarantine requirements for those returning to campus from out of state. As you may recall, Ohio advises quarantines for those returning from states with 15 percent or higher positivity rates; you can , updated weekly, for information. For additional guidance, please consult the university鈥檚 Dec. 2 message regarding return from advisory list states.
As noted yesterday, we continue to do everything we can to gain access to vaccines for members of the campus community. We will update you as more information becomes available.
We look forward to seeing you again, even if primarily via Zoom for now.
Ben Vinson III
Provost and Executive Vice President
Carolyn Gregory
Vice President for Human Resources
Lou Stark
Vice President for Student Affairs
Article Date
January 03, 2021