Dear Students,
We continue to evaluate COVID-19 measures in place on campus this spring. Your adherence to public health protocols has paid off, and we continue to experience a low prevalence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus within our campus community. Many of you have also done your part by becoming vaccinated against COVID-19 disease, which is greatly facilitating our return to the normal operational status we are planning for this fall.
I am pleased to share that effective following testing on Friday, April 23, we will exempt students who are fully immunized against COVID-19 from surveillance testing so long as certain conditions are met. Please note that it will take several days for us to fully process vaccination card submissions. Please continue testing until two weeks after receiving your final vaccine dose.
Conditions for Exemption from Surveillance Testing - You must be a non-athlete. Athletes MUST continue to participate in surveillance testing even if vaccinated. There will be no change to the required two times per week testing for varsity athletes (this does not apply to students participating in club or intramural sports). The twice weekly testing frequency must be continued to comply with Liberty League competition rules as well as our Return to Sport Guidelines approved by the Tompkins County Health Department. Athletes should continue to submit your tests to a blue collection bin before 11:30 am on your regular Monday/Thursday or Tuesday/Friday schedule.
- You must be fully immunized. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) currently defines full immunization as two weeks after your final dose. This means:
a.) If you received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, this will be two weeks after your dose.
b.) If you received the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine, this will be two weeks after your second dose.
c.) Being vaccinated with a vaccine that has been approved for use internationally, but NOT in the United States (e.g., AstraZeneca), will not exempt you from surveillance testing at this time. You must have received the Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson vaccine in order to be eligible.
- Your immunization card must be on record with Hammond Health. Once fully immunized, submit your card to Hammond Health Center at healthcenter@ithaca.edu. You may cease surveillance testing and your IC Health Badge will be adjusted accordingly two weeks after your final vaccine dose.
- You must be asymptomatic. You are required to continue completing the Daily Health Screening that you receive from the Center for Counseling, Health, and Wellness. This will keep your IC Health Badge “green.” Should you become symptomatic for COVID-19, please contact Hammond Health Center to schedule an appointment for testing.
While we do not anticipate that we will experience an increase in positive cases due to this decision, should that occur, students should be prepared for surveillance testing to be reinstated.
Continued Use of Other Public Health Measures
The pandemic is not over and we still need to maintain many of our public health protocols. Please remember that testing represents just one layer of protection that we have in place to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on campus. Given the reduction in testing, it is very important that we continue to rely upon other measures that include: - Continuing to complete your Daily Health Screening and seeking testing from Hammond Health Center should you become symptomatic.
- Wearing a face covering to protect others.
- Choosing small gatherings with members of your household or social bubble and opting to meet outdoors rather than in confined indoor spaces whenever possible.
- Being respectful of visual cues for physical distancing and remaining six feet apart from others.
- Practicing good hand hygiene.
New York State guidelines for institutions of higher education require that public health measures remain in effect, even with vaccination. Please be aware that you can still test positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus even when vaccinated. The risk for asymptomatic transmission is low, but it is important to still play your part in protecting unvaccinated members of our campus community and within Tompkins County.
As the weather continues to warm, I encourage you to take advantage of the outdoors and the beauty that being in Tompkins County offers. Please continue to adhere to recommended public health measures when doing so, especially wearing a face covering and maintaining six feet of physical distance.
Sincerely,
Christina Moylan, Ph.D.
Director, Public Health Emergency Preparedness
|
