We’re nearing the summit, Orediggers. Let’s keep climbing together and following the Oredigger Promise – E-Days is next week, and then, it’s just three weeks (!!) before Review Day, finals and Spring Commencement are here. But now is not the time to let our guard down. Now is the time to keep climbing – together – to ensure we all can have a successful end to the semester. So, let’s all recommit ourselves to the Oredigger Promise these last few weeks of the semester. It’ll be a challenge, but it will be worth it. Sounds like… Mines. A few reminders:
- Always wear a mask when indoors and around others on campus. Are you inside a building? And not alone in your private office/laboratory/residence hall room or actively eating? Then you should be wearing a mask – even if the other people are 6 feet (or more) away.
- Monitor your health and check for COVID-19 symptoms daily. Err on the side of caution and stay home if you’re feeling even a little bit under the weather. (And then get tested ASAP – see below.)
- Actively participate in contact tracing on campus. Be honest, accurate and respectful if contacted by a member of the Mines COVID-19 Response Initiator Team (CRIT).
- Get tested for COVID-19 on campus regularly. Residence hall students and FSL residents are required to get tested twice weekly, and off-campus residents are highly encouraged to get tested at least twice a month. Sign up for FREE on-campus testing at primarybio.com/a/mines.
- Keep your social circle small. The more people you socialize with in person, the more you risk being exposed to COVID-19 – and right before E-Days, no less. And while you’re at it, stay at least 6 feet away from anyone who isn’t a roommate/housemate/part of your COVID-safe bubble.
Students: It’s your turn. Roll up those sleeves and get vaccinated – While Mines students were busy enjoying the final days of Spring Break last week, Colorado took a huge step forward in the effort to get all state residents vaccinated against COVID-19. As of Friday, April 2, all Coloradans 16 and older became eligible for vaccines in the state. That means all Mines students – undergraduate and graduate, Colorado residents and those from out of state, American citizens and non-citizens – can now sign up for an appointment to get their free shot(s).
Mines highly encourages all students to make a vaccine appointment at a local healthcare provider, pharmacy, grocery store or mass vaccination site as soon as they are able. University officials are working on securing another on-campus vaccine clinic before the end of the semester, but don’t wait on Mines. Don’t get discouraged, either, if you can’t get an appointment right away. Colorado officials expect it could take 6 to 8 weeks before everyone who wants a vaccine appointment can get one.
For a complete list of Colorado vaccine providers, visit the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment website.
Poll: Are you interested in receiving your COVID-19 vaccine through an on-campus clinic?
Only answer this question if you have not yet received a first dose of a vaccine (either at the first Mines clinic in March or elsewhere). Sharing this information will help Mines plan for future vaccine clinics.
Changes are coming to the campus mask policy, but YES, masks will still be required indoors – In the coming weeks, Mines will revise its mask policy to align with recent and upcoming updates to the mask orders in Jefferson County and the City of Golden, the executive leadership team said in a message to campus earlier today.
As soon as the City of Golden’s changes go into effect, likely the week of April 19, masks will no longer be required when outdoors on the Mines campus – unless specifically stated as a requirement to attend or participate in an outdoor special event, organized gathering or athletic practice/competition. Students attending an outdoor, in-person class will also be required to wear a mask during that class period. Indoors, masks will still be required at all times inside any university facility, unless you are 1) alone in a private office/lab, 2) actively eating/drinking or 3) in your assigned on-campus residence. Read the full message here.
You asked, we answer: Do I still need to test for COVID-19 if I’m fully vaccinated? – Based on current CDC guidance, the short answer is no, unless you are currently experiencing symptoms of COVID-19. Students in the campus surveillance testing program (resident students) should continue to test regularly until they are fully vaccinated (two weeks after their second shot of Moderna/Pfizer or two weeks after the one-shot Johnson & Johnson) AND have officially notified Mines of their vaccination status. After that point, students should only test if they develop possible symptoms of COVID-19.
Student-athletes who are fully vaccinated are required to continue to test this semester until their last NCAA competition. After that, athletes who are vaccinated will no longer be required to test to gain access to athletic facilities.
Faculty/staff and off-campus students who have been voluntarily testing on campus should follow similar guidelines: You can continue to test regularly until you are fully vaccinated and then only test if you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms. Got more questions about COVID-19 testing on campus? Drop a message to covid19testing@mines.edu.
Share your vaccination status and help Mines make informed operational decisions for Fall 2021 – Have you received all the necessary doses of a COVID-19 vaccine? If so, the Mines COVID-19 Response Initiator Team (CRIT) wants to know.
Mines community members – faculty, staff and students – who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (two doses of Pfizer/Moderna or single dose of Johnson & Johnson) are asked to report their vaccination status to Mines via this secure and easy-to-use portal.
- Students: After submitting the form, please upload a copy of your vaccination record to the Student Health Center, via Trailhead.
- Employees: At this time, CRIT is not asking for a copy of your vaccination card. In the near future, we hope to have a secure portal to allow staff and faculty to upload an image of their vaccination card.
Providing this information will streamline contact tracing efforts and help university leadership make informed operational decisions for Fall 2021. As a reminder, our plan is a fully in-person living and learning experience with pre-pandemic classroom capacities. Widespread community vaccination is one way to ensure that we can stick with that plan.
COVID-19 Dashboard Update: Monday was the busiest testing day on campus since the start of academic year – The Mines COVID-19 dashboard was updated today, revealing 32 active cases on campus. Monday, April 5 was the single busiest day of testing on campus since the COVIDCheck Colorado site opened, with 1,025 tests administered. The positivity rate on Monday was 1.37 percent. Additional case details are available here.
Two outbreaks are currently active on campus, in Spruce Hall and Alpha Tau Omega. CDPHE defines outbreaks as two or more individuals within a cohort (facility, business, non-household group) who have tested positive for COVID-19 within a 14-day period. The state’s outbreak report is updated each Wednesday at covid19.colorado.gov/covid19-outbreak-data.
NOTE: Outbreaks remain active in the state database until 28 days have passed without a positive case. That means a cohort (residence hall floor or house) could have already been released from quarantine, with no additional cases/transmission identified, but is still considered an “active” outbreak by the state. We have removed cohorts that have already been released from quarantine from this message.
With a 7-day positivity rate above 5 percent, Jefferson County moves to Level Yellow – Effective at 6 a.m. today, Jefferson County was moved up to Level Yellow from Level Blue on Colorado’s COVID-19 Dial (Version 3.0) by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Restaurants, recreation centers and indoor/outdoor events are now subject to stricter occupancy limits, and bars must close again unless they serve food. For more details on the more restrictive Level Yellow requirements and capacity limits, go to the Jefferson County Public Health website.
From March 31-April 6, there were 832 cases of COVID-19 (142.7 per 100,000) in Jefferson County. The 7-day COVID-19 case incidence rate limit, including a buffer allowance, for Level Blue is 115 cases per 100,000 people (for five consecutive days). In light of the increasing numbers, JCPH officials urged all Jeffco residents to recommit to COVID-19 prevention actions, including wearing a mask, keeping 6 feet of distance and avoiding gatherings.
“There are some important occasions coming up in the next several months — graduations, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and the much-anticipated start of summer,” said Dr. Dawn Comstock, executive director of JCPH. “It’s important that we take the necessary steps now to reverse this trend, so we have the opportunity to celebrate the things and people we love and enjoy. We missed many of these special occasions last year, but if we work hard now it doesn’t have to be the case for 2021.”