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09-06-22: Campus Community Message

COVID-19 Community Message, Sept 6 2022

Dear Campus Community,

Effective Wednesday, September 7, The College of Wooster will move to a mask optional policy for all faculty, staff, students, and visitors, with a few notable exceptions:

  • Masks will be required in the Longbrake Student Wellness Center.
  • Masks will be required when using all College of Wooster transportation.
  • Masks absolutely must be worn by anyone who is COVID-19 positive or has symptoms of COVID-19, until a negative test has been taken and the required isolation protocol has been completed. If negative, masks should be worn until symptoms have passed as we are also quickly approaching flu season.
  • Faculty and staff may continue to require masks in their classrooms and personal offices.

We also will continue to conduct surveillance testing of residence halls, teams, performing arts, and other groups based on evidence of potential clusters as defined by the Wayne County Health Department.

Thank you to everyone who has cooperated with our arrival and surveillance testing protocols, as well as the mask mandate we had in place since mid-August in all indoor public campus spaces. We are able to make these changes at this time because of the care each of you showed for the Fighting Scots community in our first few weeks together, along with the College’s high vaccination and booster rates. Currently, 98 percent of students are vaccinated. Our campus positivity rate is 2.4 percent, still under our threshold of 3 percent, and Wayne County’s COVID-19 Community Level has now moved to MEDIUM as of Monday, September 5.

These updated guidelines are subject to change as conditions on campus and in the local community change. We will continue to monitor rates of infection and hospitalization locally and at the state and national levels and will update our campus Community Health Dashboard weekly on Monday afternoons with the latest data. As we’ve done since the beginning of the pandemic, we will rely on masks and testing as levels fluctuate. We will adjust community guidelines as needed on our 2022-2023 Community Health Guide.

The College is providing high-quality, well-fitting masks, self-administered antigen tests, and “masks required” door hangs to anyone who needs them. Students, staff, and faculty who are experiencing symptoms or would like to monitor their health will be able to pick up masks or a self-administered rapid test at the following campus locations: Lowry Center Information Desk, Andrews Library Circulation Desk, Wellness Center Door A and Door D, and Ruth Williams Hall Storeroom.

Upon receiving a positive test, students should contact Longbrake Student Wellness Center either through their individual health portal or call 330-263-2319. Positive students will be instructed to either relocate to dedicated isolation housing or isolate in place, following the practice of several peer institutions. Any student who tests positive and is currently living in a single—whether stand-alone or within a suite or house—will be asked to isolate in place while wearing a mask in all shared spaces. Students in doubles and triples will be asked to move to isolation housing. This is subject to change based on campus’ overall positivity rate and available isolation spaces. In all isolation cases, it is the student’s responsibility to connect with their faculty on arrangements for completing coursework while they are out. Students who test positive and are in isolation will continue to be assigned a support person through the duration of their isolation period and meals will be delivered to their location. Click here for more information on isolation protocols.

Please email communityhealth@wooster.edu with questions.

Thank you for your continued dedication to the health and safety of our campus.

Community Health Taskforce

Posted in Community Message on September 6, 2022.