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 1 – Moderate Alert” on the Elon COVID-19 Dashboard.
- Since last week’s email update, Elon has received 54 new reports of PCR-confirmed cases of COVID-19 among students and employees.
- As of yesterday afternoon, there were an estimated total of 65 active cases, with 326 students in quarantine or isolation.
- Within the past week a new cluster of positive cases among members of Zeta Beta Tau fraternity has been reported to the state.
Vaccination eligibility
- All university employees working in-person (including student employees), students with high-risk medical conditions (including asthma, chronic kidney disease, diabetes, and obesity), and students taking classes in-person are currently eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
- All individuals 16+ will be eligible to receive the vaccine beginning next Wednesday, April 7.
- All students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to receive the vaccine whenever and wherever they can.
Upcoming campus vaccination clinics
- The university has been allocated 1,800 doses of the Johnson & Johnson one-shot vaccine and plans to host on-campus vaccination clinics Tuesday through Friday, April 6-9 and Monday, April 12. The clinics will be held in the South Campus Gym. Additional information, along with a link to schedule an appointment, will be distributed via email at 1:45 p.m. today, March 31.
- 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.
Submit vaccination record for exemption from testing and quarantine requirements
Students, faculty, and staff who have completed their COVID-19 vaccination (both doses of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, or the single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine) are encouraged to complete the COVID-19 Testing Exception form and attach a copy or image of the vaccine documentation (vaccination record card). Two weeks after completing your last shot you will be considered fully vaccinated and eligible for the following exemptions for 90 days:
- exempt from participating in required campus testing
- exempt from requirements to quarantine as a close contact (as long as you do not have symptoms suggestive of COVID-19)
Click here to read more on testing and quarantine requirements after being vaccinated or review the March 12 email from Dr. Jeff Stein, archived online here.
Since the vaccine does not reach its full strength until two weeks after it is administered, and because it’s possible that vaccinated persons may still transmit the virus to others, all students must continue to follow the Healthy Elon Commitment and related guidelines for the remainder of the semester.
Updates on gathering limitations and campus operations
Governor Cooper eased restrictions on certain businesses and gatherings across the state, effective last Friday, March 26. The gathering limits at residences in the Town of Elon have been raised to no more than 25 persons indoors and 50 persons outdoors, and capacity limits for residence hall and on-campus apartment locations have also been raised. Updated information for the university community about gathering limits and university operations can be found in the March 26 email to students, faculty and staff, archived here on the Ready and Resilient website.
The university continues to support the Town of Elon efforts to enforce the town gathering size limits, consistent with our Healthy Elon Commitment and expectations for shared responsibility and accountability.
Wellness moment and Chaplain’s reflection
Deep breathing is a great way to enhance wellness. When you breathe deeply, it sends a message to the brain to calm down and relax. The brain then sends this message to the body. With each inhale and exhale, your breath helps regulate, recover, and restore your body. The science behind deep breathing is a great reminder of how our bodies have a natural ability to be resilient. For more details, check out this breathing exercise information.
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, “Every Sacred Day” 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, April 7, unless an earlier message is warranted.
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Dr. Jon Dooley
Vice President for Student Life