Vice President for Student Life Jon Dooley is providing regular email update messages to keep students and parents informed about the efforts for a healthy Spring Semester.
Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff,
Summary of updates in this message
- Status updates
- Healthy Elon policies for the remainder of the semester
- Changes to campus policies after Commencement
Status updates
The university dashboard is updated on the Healthy Elon website each weekday morning.
- 29 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed among Elon students and employees over the past week, April 27 – May 3. This compares to 39 new cases the week prior.
- As of yesterday, May 3, there were an estimated 19 active cases among Elon students and employees. This compares to 23 active cases a week ago.
- Alamance County is in the “medium” category and Guilford County remains in the “low” category on the CDC community-level tracking tool.
- The CDC county tracking website includes guidance for individual/household prevention behaviors and community-level prevention strategies associated with each of the levels.
Healthy Elon policies for the remainder of the semester
In an email announcement to the community yesterday, May 3, Dr. Jeff Stein and the Healthy Elon Committee affirmed that current campus protocols and policies for masking, testing, and quarantine/isolation will remain in place for the rest of spring semester.
During Commencement Week, May 16-20, normal seating configurations will be used for indoor events; people with health concerns may wish to wear a mask in these venues. Asymptomatic testing in the McCoy Commons (Oaks Neighborhood) will be available during regularly scheduled hours Monday, May 16 through Thursday, May 19.
Changes to campus policies after Commencement
The May 3 email announcement from the Healthy Elon Committee detailed changes to campus policies effective on May 26. Among the changes:
- The Healthy Elon Committee and COVID-19 Data Team will discontinue meeting and the Infectious Disease Response Team will transition to lead campus preparation and response for health risks and monitoring of local health conditions.
- Asymptomatic testing will no longer be required on main campus, but will continue to be available during reduced hours in the summer. (Testing requirements at the Law School will continue through the end of the Spring Trimester in June.)
- Sick visits, including testing for those with COVID-19 symptoms, will remain available by appointment at Student Health Services (limited summer hours from June 1 – August. 19) and the Faculty-Staff Health & Wellness Clinic. Students may also access TimelyCare resources throughout the summer from anywhere in the United States at no charge.
- Those who are on campus this summer, test positive, and would like assistance, should contact quarantine-support@elon.edu or Human Resources (336-278-5560 or HREmployeeCovid@elon.edu).
- The weekly email update and the Healthy Elon COVID-19 dashboard will be suspended, with the Healthy Elon website incorporated into a new university health and wellness web resource.
- The Healthy Elon information line (336-278-2020) and healthy@elon.edu ElonCOVIDTesting@elon.edu email addresses will be suspended; calls will be forwarded to the campus switchboard, and campus departments will respond to individual questions, as they have normally.
Elon continues to require students, and to strongly encourage employees, to receive COVID-19 vaccination and boosters and submit documentation. Requirements for fall semester have not yet been determined. New and returning students will be notified this summer via email about requirements and documentation for next academic year.
Additional information
Detailed information is always available on the Healthy Elon website, which provides important health and wellness information for students and employees, including what to do if you feel ill, test positive, or have close contact with a positive case. The site also offers responses to frequently asked questions about academics, vaccination, and employee information, as well as answers to questions related to the university mask policy and other protocols.
The next email update will be sent Wednesday, May 11, at 10:45 a.m., unless an additional message is warranted before then.
—
Dr. Jon Dooley
Vice President for Student Life