July 16, 2021
Dear Members of the Catholic University Community,
I want to begin by thanking all our staff for their return to campus this month. Welcome back. It has been a joy to see you in person.
As we look ahead to the fall semester, we continue to track the presence of COVID-19 in the community. The number of cases in the District has fallen to zero some days, but in the last few weeks the Delta variant has caused periodic spikes. For this reason the pandemic continues to be a matter of genuine concern. I want to ask for your cooperation on several issues.
Though we have not mandated vaccinations, we need everyone in the community to provide information about their COVID immunization status. Within the District we are an outlier in the approach we have taken. We have assumed that we will likely reach a level of immunity comparable to schools that have required vaccinations but permitted liberal exceptions. Only accurate data can confirm this assumption. Your confidential answers, in consultation with the D.C. Department of Health, will inform our approach going forward. As we monitor variants and case rates, we need to be prepared for possible increased mitigation measures. Because an accurate headcount is critical to our ability to care for the entire community, all staff, faculty, and students must submit the form by July 31.
We want to stress that the safest course, from the standpoint of both individual and public health, is for everyone to get vaccinated. If you have decided not to do so, we require that you continue to observe the precautions we all took before the vaccine was available: maintain your distance and wear a mask. This is, first of all, an appropriate gesture of respect for your coworkers. Many people are confident they will survive a bout of COVID, but some are more apprehensive. Equally important, these are appropriate safety precautions for those who may be medically more vulnerable to a virus than you are.
Students who are not vaccinated will need to report early for the fall semester to complete quarantine and begin in-person classes on the first day of the semester. They must also test negative for COVID-19 before traveling to DC, and test again for COVID-19 three to five days after arrival in DC. If the second test is negative, students can end quarantine. Students will be required to quarantine for 10 full days if they do not follow the testing recommendations.
The University will continue to test students (whether or not they are vaccinated) who experience COVID symptoms, and students will be expected to isolate while awaiting test results.
I know that some who have been vaccinated are worried about infection from people who are not. Remember that, as is true with other communicable diseases, your own vaccination is the best possible protection. You are free to take extra precautions, like maintaining your distance and wearing a mask. And we have left in place a number of additional protective measures in classrooms, such as acrylic shields and enhanced air circulation.
The last year and a half have been difficult for all of us. We were open for business, careful, and safe last semester. Let’s continue to do what we can to alleviate one another’s concerns, and get through the end of the pandemic together.
Sincerely,
John Garvey
I want to begin by thanking all our staff for their return to campus this month. Welcome back. It has been a joy to see you in person.
As we look ahead to the fall semester, we continue to track the presence of COVID-19 in the community. The number of cases in the District has fallen to zero some days, but in the last few weeks the Delta variant has caused periodic spikes. For this reason the pandemic continues to be a matter of genuine concern. I want to ask for your cooperation on several issues.
Though we have not mandated vaccinations, we need everyone in the community to provide information about their COVID immunization status. Within the District we are an outlier in the approach we have taken. We have assumed that we will likely reach a level of immunity comparable to schools that have required vaccinations but permitted liberal exceptions. Only accurate data can confirm this assumption. Your confidential answers, in consultation with the D.C. Department of Health, will inform our approach going forward. As we monitor variants and case rates, we need to be prepared for possible increased mitigation measures. Because an accurate headcount is critical to our ability to care for the entire community, all staff, faculty, and students must submit the form by July 31.We want to stress that the safest course, from the standpoint of both individual and public health, is for everyone to get vaccinated. If you have decided not to do so, we require that you continue to observe the precautions we all took before the vaccine was available: maintain your distance and wear a mask. This is, first of all, an appropriate gesture of respect for your coworkers. Many people are confident they will survive a bout of COVID, but some are more apprehensive. Equally important, these are appropriate safety precautions for those who may be medically more vulnerable to a virus than you are.
Students who are not vaccinated will need to report early for the fall semester to complete quarantine and begin in-person classes on the first day of the semester. They must also test negative for COVID-19 before traveling to DC, and test again for COVID-19 three to five days after arrival in DC. If the second test is negative, students can end quarantine. Students will be required to quarantine for 10 full days if they do not follow the testing recommendations.
The University will continue to test students (whether or not they are vaccinated) who experience COVID symptoms, and students will be expected to isolate while awaiting test results.
I know that some who have been vaccinated are worried about infection from people who are not. Remember that, as is true with other communicable diseases, your own vaccination is the best possible protection. You are free to take extra precautions, like maintaining your distance and wearing a mask. And we have left in place a number of additional protective measures in classrooms, such as acrylic shields and enhanced air circulation.
The last year and a half have been difficult for all of us. We were open for business, careful, and safe last semester. Let’s continue to do what we can to alleviate one another’s concerns, and get through the end of the pandemic together.
Sincerely,
John Garvey