Dear Faculty, Staff, Students, and Adjuncts,
We have consulted with our medical advisor, and based on his advice, South Texas largely will be returning to normal operations.
We spoke at length to Dr. Patel this past week. (You will recall that he has successfully advised us on our COVID-19 precautions for over a year.) Based on his review of the CDC guidance and other data, he now strongly recommends a relaxation of those precautions.
What does this mean for all of the protocols that we have used for the last year?
Effective Tuesday, June 1, we will . . .
- Discontinue the use of the ReturnSafe app.
- No longer mandate the use of facial coverings. (See Additional Note 2, below.)
- No longer mandate social distancing practices. (See Additional Note 2, below.)
- Lift restrictions on elevator use and one-way hallway traffic.
- Permit visitors on campus using normal visitor policies.
- Permit campus events and school-sponsored travel.
- Remove plexiglass in the cafeteria. (Plexiglass shields will remain in classrooms, and staff departments will have the option to keep or remove plexiglass shields in their areas.)
- Remove signage regarding these protocols across the building (although please allow a few days, as there are lots of signs); we will leave the dots in the classrooms for now.
Additional Notes:
- Dr. Patel indicated that it is strongly recommended that all individuals get a COVID-19 vaccine. Recent data indicates that there have been just 10,000 cases of COVID-19 among more than 100 million vaccinated adults — about 1 case for every 10,000 vaccinated individuals. By getting the vaccine, you take great strides in protecting yourself, your loved ones at home, and our South Texas community, including those who are immuno-compromised. (We have not made a decision on whether to ask faculty, staff, and students about vaccination status at this point; we will revisit this question closer to the fall semester.)
- Unvaccinated individuals are strongly encouraged to wear a mask and maintain social distancing on campus. This applies as well to those who are vaccinated but who have individual health concerns.
Resuming Normal Operations:
- Summer classes will remain hybrid, as faculty, staff, and students have planned for this mode of delivery.
- Fall classes will be fully in person.
- Please watch for further updates on additional logistics.
This day has been a long time coming. But for many, the transition to more normal operations will take some getting used to. Please allow some grace and be flexible as our community adapts.
And thank you for all of your diligence and effort this past year. From the beginning, our first priority was to keep our community safe; through your commitment, we have done so!
If you have questions about our return to normal operations, please contact the school at health@stcl.edu.