COVID-19 Shift to Alert Level Clear on March 7

Email highlights

• On March 7, DU is moving to Alert Level Clear, thanks to good conditions on and off campus.
• We will continue required use of high-quality masks for all community members in classrooms and at required in-person meetings of 5 or more through March 20.
• Mandatory testing is still required under Alert Level Clear.
• All community members will need to test twice between March 21 and April 4, as students and others return from spring break.

Dear DU Students, Faculty & Staff,

Congratulations on working together to maintain our positivity on campus at or below 1%! Given the improving conditions on and off campus, and the CDC's reclassification of Denver’s COVID-19 transmission risk level to “low,” we will be moving to alert level “clear” on Monday, March 7, 2022.

Alert Level Clear Expectations

Although we would typically fully relax the mask requirements in the clear alert level, through the end of winter quarter (March 20), we will continue to require everyone to wear high-quality masks in classes when not actively speaking/performing at 6 or more feet distance from others. We will also continue to require everyone to wear high-quality masks in mandatory in-person meetings of 5 or more where remote participation is not an option because some DU community members may be immunocompromised or caring for those who are vulnerable. Staff members working in close contact with 5 or more colleagues may request that the COVID team conduct an evaluation of their workspace to determine whether it is appropriate to continue to wear masks in those environments. Please contact the COVID team by email at COVIDCoordinator@du.edu.

Contingent on the expected continued improvement of COVID-19 conditions, we anticipate returning in spring term without masks for most people and in most settings – please see below.

Obtaining Accommodations

Conditions on campus should not present significant concerns for most people, and we anticipate continued improvement in those conditions over the next three weeks. However, if you are immunocompromised or have another disability, medical or mental health condition for which you wish to request an accommodation, please initiate the accommodation process as soon as possible by contacting the Disability Services Program (DSP) (for students) or the ADA Coordinator (for employees). Because both processes require supporting documentation, you need to allow sufficient time to obtain that documentation from your health care provider.

Additional Circumstances when Masks are Required

Please note that in alert level “clear,” individuals who do not qualify as fully vaccinated (which means having the booster vaccine for those who are booster-eligible) must wear high-quality masks at all times, with limited exceptions.

Further, high-quality masks are required in the HCC, campus mental health clinics, in the SPIT lab, at the SPIT collection sites, while preparing or serving food for dining services or catering, in clinical and field placements, and in certain laboratory classroom settings.

Within Fisher Early Learning Center and Ricks Center for Gifted Children, where there are populations of individuals who are not yet vaccine eligible (under age 5), we may require masking beyond March 20. Each school’s administration, working in consultation with the COVID team, will determine the applicable policy and will communicate the policy directly to staff and families at each school.

There are many reasons someone may be wearing a mask in a situation where it is not required of everyone, including their own health status or recent exposure, their comfort level, care for a vulnerable person or because they are not fully vaccinated. As part of our desire to be an inclusive community, please do not assume the underlying reasons someone is wearing a mask.

Testing and Spring Break

We will continue mandatory testing, and we will require reentry testing for all members of our community following spring break. Reentry testing will include 2 tests within a 7-day period and at least 2 days apart. To allow greater flexibility, individuals may determine when within that period to take the second test. Once you have received two negative tests in a 7-day period during the window beginning March 21 and ending April 4, your testing schedule will return to the frequency determined by your role on campus and your vaccination status.

At this time, and contingent on the expected continued improvement of COVID-19 conditions, we anticipate returning in spring term without masks for most people and in most settings following our initial re-entry test period. Although testing may involve some additional inconvenience, our mandatory testing program allows us to be confident that our protocols are well-matched to current conditions.

Thank you for your efforts to create a community of care. As always, for the most efficient response, please direct your questions to COVIDCoordinator@du.edu or 303-871-COVD (2683), rather than to any individual emails or phone numbers.

Sincerely,

Sarah Watamura

COVID-19 Coordinator