Throughout Spring Semester, Vice President for Student Life Jon Dooley is providing regular email update messages to keep students and parents informed about the efforts related to COVID-19.
Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff,
Current status
- Elon’s current alert level is “Level 2 – High Alert” on the Elon COVID-19 Dashboard.
- Since last week’s email update, Elon has received 16 new reports of PCR-confirmed cases of COVID-19 among students and employees.
- As of yesterday afternoon, there were an estimated total of 21 active cases, with 104 students in quarantine or isolation.
- Information about why the university continues to remain at “Level 2 – High Alert” can be found in Dr. Jeff Stein’s March 4 email to the university community, archived online here.
COVID Testing March 16 & 17
Testing will continue as scheduled in Alumni Gym Tuesday, March 16 and Wednesday, March 17. If you are unable to attend your appointment, please complete the testing form beforehand in order to receive instructions.
Vaccination resources and information
New information and resources continue to be updated on the special Ready & Resilient vaccination webpage, including links to online resources to make an appointment locally.
Faculty and staff, please click here to complete a quick survey to help us understand needs for support in securing vaccines, and faculty and staff spring testing.
Faculty and staff – sign up now for monthly testing
All staff and faculty should sign up for their required monthly testing appointments (March, April, and May) by this Friday, March 12.
- Click here to sign up for your required test in March
- Click here to sign up for your required test in April
- Click here to sign up for your required test in May
Testing and quarantine policies after vaccination
Students, faculty and staff who have waited 14 days after being fully vaccinated (received both doses for vaccines that require two doses) for COVID-19 and submitted documentation, will no longer be expected to:
- Participate in required campus testing for the following 90 days
- Quarantine as a close contact for the following 90 days
(Note: These guidelines do not apply if the person has symptoms suggestive of COVID-19.)
Click here to read more on testing and quarantine requirements after being vaccinated.
Upload your vaccine documentation
Students, faculty, and staff must complete the COVID-19 Testing Exception form and attach a copy or image of their vaccine documentation (vaccination record card) to be considered fully vaccinated for the testing and quarantine/isolation exemptions noted above.
Vaccinations, campus restrictions and gatherings
Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and others are beginning to develop guidelines for fully vaccinated people, please keep in mind the following:
- Per CDC and state and local guidelines, we will continue mask requirements and other health precautions until 80-90 percent of university community members are fully vaccinated.
- The CDC continues to recommend that all people, regardless of vaccination status, should adhere to current guidance to avoid medium- or large-sized in-person gatherings and to follow any applicable local guidance restricting the size of gatherings.
- The CDC also recommends that fully vaccinated people should continue to adhere to prevention measures that reduce spread of the virus, including wearing a well-fitted mask, maintaining physical distance from others and washing hands frequently.
Travel discouraged during March break days
In order to continue to protect the health and safety of the university and local community, travel out of the area is strongly discouraged during the upcoming break days in the academic calendar. We ask that all students remain on campus and minimize the risk that comes from non-essential travel and being exposed to others outside the Elon university community.
Wellness moment and Chaplain’s reflection
As the days get longer and warmer, take some time to connect with nature. Spending time in green space or bringing nature into your everyday life can add value to both your mental and physical wellbeing. Doing things like planting food or flowers, taking a walk outdoors, or being around animals can have lots of positive effects. For more ideas on how to get involved with nature, check out the Mind for better mental health website.
University Chaplain Jan Fuller’s weekly reflection is offered to help us in our search for meaning during this challenging time – this week’s reflection, “What in the World?” can be found here on the Truitt Center blog.
Information is updated regularly on the Elon Ready & Resilient website. The next weekly COVID-19 update will be sent to all students, faculty and staff at 10:45 a.m. next Wednesday, March 17, unless an earlier message is warranted.
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Dr. Jon Dooley
Vice President for Student Life