COVID-19 Update: Additional Protocols for Fall Term

Dear DU community,

On behalf of the COVID-19 Coordinator Team, welcome! We look forward to supporting a vibrant, in-person fall term.

With dedicated attention, we enjoyed a successful 2020-21 academic year amid highly uncertain conditions and largely without vaccination. This year, we face a new set of circumstances--improved protection via vaccination but also an evolving pandemic due to new variants of the virus. With our health partner, National Jewish Health, and in collaboration with public health agencies, DU will continue to respond quickly and strategically to changing conditions. You can view the current COVID-19 mitigation protocols anytime at DU.edu/coronavirus.

Below are some of this fall’s most significant protocols, in addition to the information shared by Chancellor Haefner earlier this week.

Pre-Term Checklist

1. Submit proof of COVID-19 vaccination or request an exemption no later than Sept. 1.
2. Complete required test for COVID-19 on campus. Non-DU tests will not be accepted as we reintegrate during the first few weeks of the fall term.
3. Receive “cleared” campus access status (found under Campus Access Status on your PioneerWeb homepage).

Vaccination

Submit your vaccination record or request an exemption allowing time for verification and approval by your fall term start date, and no later than September 1 on MyHealth. Visit the Health & Counseling Center COVID-19 immunization page for directions on submitting your vaccination record or information about vaccination exemptions. For information on which vaccines are accepted and other details, consult our vaccination protocol.

Accessing Campus and Buildings

To enter buildings on campus, you will need to “badge in” using your DU ID card. Your DU ID card will allow you to enter academic and community buildings once you have completed the fall term checklist and have “cleared” campus access status. Every individual needs to badge in each time you enter a building.

Required Testing

On-campus testing locations and hours are available here. Saliva and nasal testing will be available at the beginning of term from September 6 – 24 when we are testing more frequently. Afterward, we will use only the saliva method through the fall term. After the first few weeks of the term, if you prefer a nasal swab test, you may submit an external, non-DU nasal swab RT-PCR.

On Arrival

Complete your first test for COVID-19 within 48 hours before your planned arrival on campus or, if you cannot do so, you may test on arrival.

If you have a verified exemption, you are required to self-quarantine until you receive your test results. If you have not yet received either a verified exemption or submitted your vaccination record, you must stay off campus until these documents are verified.

If you received a positive test for COVID-19 in the past 90 days and that result is documented in MyHealth, you should not complete a COVID-19 test upon arrival, per CDC recommendations. For questions about this circumstance, please contact covidcoordinator@du.edu.

If you test positive upon arrival, you are required to isolate until at least 10 days after symptoms first appeared, you have been fever-free for 24 hours without medication and other symptoms are improving. If you test positive and are asymptomatic, you can stop isolating 10 days after the positive test.

Throughout the Fall Term

Regular testing for COVID-19 is required for all community members. Everyone must test twice at the start of their fall term (August for Law, September for the rest of campus) and then follow their individualized testing schedule until informed otherwise. Access your testing schedule under “campus access status” on your PioneerWeb homepage. Your assigned testing frequency depends on the circumstances of your role or cohort.

Additional Protocols

• We are closely monitoring CDC guidance and are in communication with the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment (DDPHE) regarding face coverings. At this time, if you are vaccinated, you are not required but may choose to wear a mask indoors. Vaccination rates are very high on campus, and we are actively testing our population. We have a very low positivity rate and excellent capacity to quickly isolate and quarantine.
• Unvaccinated residential students will not share a bedroom with vaccinated students.
• Face coverings are required for everyone, regardless of vaccination status, in the Fisher Early Learning Center, Ricks Center for Gifted Children, Health & Counseling Center, certain on-campus clinics, while serving or preparing food, at the SPIT lab and collections sites, and during certain events as designated.
• No eating in classrooms.
• Everyone, regardless of vaccination status, should seek a COVID-19 test if they experience any symptoms. Please self-quarantine while you wait for your results and until symptoms improve.

Please remember that people choose to wear face coverings for many reasons. They may be immunocompromised, caring for a vulnerable person, living with someone unvaccinated, including small children currently without access to a vaccine, or because they themselves are unvaccinated for personal reasons. DU is a compassionate, respectful community. Let’s embody these values as we come together on campus by treating one another with kindness and avoiding assumptions.

We are excited to welcome the community back to campus for the fall term and look forward to fewer restrictions thanks to widespread vaccination. Please review our COVID-19 website, as well as our detailed Sustaining a Community of Care Action Plan for more information on our approach to fall 2021.

The Arrival Help Center will be in the Garden room of the Chamber Center (1901 E. Asbury Ave.) from September 5-20. The center will be open 8 a.m.–8 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

The COVID-19 coordinator team is always available to support you and answer questions. For emergencies, or to report a positive COVID-19 test or exposure, please call 303-871-COVD (2683) or email reportCOVID@du.edu. For information about the SPIT program or lab, please call 303-549-8867. For all other inquiries and non-urgent questions, please email COVIDcoordinator@du.edu or call 303-656-7137.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

Sincerely,  

Sarah Watamura
COVID-19 Coordinator on behalf of the COVID-19 Coordinator Team