Dear Students,
I want to express my gratitude to all of you for doing your part to ensure a safe start for our campus community this semester. With cooler temperatures ahead, keeping our community healthy will require all of us to stay focused on the important choices we can make every day.
Social Gathering Requirements
While we have been doing well as a larger community, the University has experienced COVID transmission linked to crowded indoor social gatherings where participants are without masks, even in small groups. We are proud of how well our community is adhering to the Columbia Community Health Compact, but unmasked social settings remain risky.
I want to share some critical reminders with you:
- Each of us must wear a mask any time we are indoors.
- Vaccinated students may remove their masks when outdoors.
- Unvaccinated students must wear face coverings at all times.
- Faculty are allowed to remove their masks while teaching, if they maintain six feet of distance.
Surveillance Testing
Throughout the semester, you may be randomly selected to receive a mandatory COVID test. Once you receive the email from [email protected] selecting you for testing, you must sign up for a COVID test using the Columbia Health Portal within the specified date range. If you do not schedule your test or you fail to attend your scheduled appointment within the specified window, you will receive a red pass on the ReopenCU app until you have completed the test.
You can learn more about the University’s testing plan on the COVID website.
Timely Response with Contact Tracing
If you have been in contact with someone who recently tested positive for COVID-19, the University’s contact tracing team will be in communication with you via either telephone or the “covidtesttrace” email address. It is imperative that you respond immediately if contacted, so you can receive information about timely action steps to ensure that both you and our community stay healthy and safe.
Please feel free to email us at [email protected].
Take care,
Joseph Defraine Greenwell, Ed.D.
Vice President for Student Affairs
Office of University Life
Gender Pronouns: He/Him/His
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Connect with University Life: universitylife.columbia.edu | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
