Welcome back, Orediggers! Here’s a friendly reminder of the rules on campus—All classes and final exams are remote, but the Mines campus remains open through the end of the semester for students who need a socially distanced spot to study or finish up final projects. When on campus, don’t forget that the following rules apply to all students, faculty and staff:
- Stay home if you are experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms—even seemingly mild ones.
- Do not come to campus (or use any campus spaces) if you have been directed to isolate and/or quarantine due to COVID-19 symptoms/exposure until your quarantine/isolation period is over.
- Maintain at least 6 feet of physical distance from anyone you don’t live with—including members of your study group—at all times.
- Wear a face mask that covers your mouth AND nose whenever indoors.
- Wash your hands frequently for at least 20 seconds with soap and water.
For more on Mines’ COVID-19 response, go to mines.edu/coronavirus.
Mines COVID-19 Dashboard update—The Mines COVID-19 dashboard was updated today, revealing 29 active cases on campus. Starting this week, the dashboard will be updated daily Monday through Friday with the number of new cases, number of active cases and the cumulative number of cases among students, faculty and staff. Every Friday, a weekly positivity rate will also be added (calculated based on testing through COVIDCheck Colorado on campus). Additional details are available here.
Dr. Anthony Fauci: Coloradans need to “hang together a bit longer” to beat COVID-19—At a virtual press conference earlier this week, Gov. Jared Polis was joined (remotely) by the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), to urge all Coloradans to do their part to help avoid a “surge upon a surge” as temperatures drop and the holiday season approaches. “Instead of thinking in terms of the Thanksgiving holiday and then the Christmas holiday as two separate events, I think we are going to be looking at 30 or more days of a period of time of precarious risk,” Dr. Fauci said. He encouraged people to continue to avoid crowds, wear a mask, wash hands and social distance. “We’re all in this together, help is on the way and we are going to get out of this,” Dr. Fauci said. For more on Colorado’s COVID-19 response, go to covid19.colorado.gov.
Coming to campus? Try out Mines’ new health tracking app—On Monday, Nov. 23, Mines introduced a new health tracking app for everyone physically working or studying on campus to use daily. The tracker, which is incorporated in The M app, replaces an earlier employee-only reporting tool. The M app will be tested during the last few weeks of the fall semester. Beginning January 12, all students, faculty and staff working on campus will be required to use the app prior to arriving on campus (or before leaving their residence hall for campus residents). More information will be provided to the campus community in the days and weeks ahead.
All Mines Dining locations remain takeout only—Mines Market, Periodic Table and Zime will be open for takeout service only for as long as Jefferson County is subject to “Level Red” restrictions on the state’s COVID-19 dial, Student Life confirmed this week. Level Red requires all restaurants within the affected area to close for all indoor dining. December hours are available on the Mines Dining website.
Reminder: Expanded campus testing site hours, access—The COVIDCheck Colorado (CCC) testing site on the Mines campus is now open Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday 7 a.m. to noon. With the new hours, the testing site can now support any Mines student, faculty or staff member who wishes to test at this location. All Mines students, faculty and staff with a CWID should use this link to register for testing even during community hours: primarybio.com/a/mines.
CCC is also making appointments available for general community testing at this site Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday 7 a.m. to noon. Reservations are required. This allows members of your family and household to access testing at this location. Mines students, faculty and staff can also schedule during the community hours. A Mines CWID is required to test during exclusive Mines hours which are Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. General community members (those without a Mines CWID) can register for testing using this link: primarybio.com/l/cdphe.
Share some gratitude before the end of the semester—We’re recognizing and celebrating Orediggers who are supporting others and keeping our community safe this year. If you know a classmate, professor, staff member or campus group who has been following the Oredigger Promise and setting a good example for others and want to pass along a word of thanks or appreciation, share the good vibes here, and we’ll take it from there. And as a bonus, you and the person you call out for a job well done will get some cool Mines swag. It’s really a win-win.