Dear Mines community,
Happy New Year! As Winter Break comes to an end, we would like to share a few health and safety reminders to help guide our collective return to campus.
Colorado School of Mines is still planning to start Spring 2022 classes as scheduled – in person and on campus – on Tuesday, January 11. To make that possible, we ask that all students and employees – regardless of vaccination status – take the following actions:
The omicron variant has shown itself to be highly contagious, including among those who are vaccinated. Mines strongly encourages all students and employees – regardless of vaccination status – to get tested for COVID-19 before returning to campus for the spring semester. That means before you physically come to campus for any reason, or as soon as possible if you are already back.
All Mines community members have access to free COVID-19 testing at COVIDCheck Colorado testing sites, including the one on the Mines campus. Make an appointment at: https://my.primary.health/a/mines.
If you are unable to test prior to your return to campus, you are urged to schedule an appointment at the on-campus testing site for the day of your return. Please keep in mind that demand for both PCR and at-home antigen tests has been high in recent weeks, with results for PCR tests taking 3-5 days. If you use an at-home test, please follow the instructions closely, including directions for when to take the second test, typically 24 to 36 hours later.
2. Test positive or feeling sick? Don’t come to campus
If you test positive for COVID-19, do not come to campus for class, work or any other activity until you have completed isolation requirements.
Students and employees experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19 should also not come to campus until they complete a COVID-19 test and receive a negative test result.
Please report any symptoms and positive test results to the Mines COVID-19 Response Initiator Team (CRIT) for further direction, even if you are still currently out of state.
If you’re at least six months past your initial Pfizer/Moderna vaccine series or two months past your J&J vaccine, it’s time for your COVID-19 booster shot, according to the latest guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Mines plans to offer on-campus booster clinics starting later this month, but if you can, get your booster now, before you return to campus. The state of Colorado is operating multiple community vaccination sites and you can also get boosted for free at retail pharmacies, local public health agencies and doctor’s offices: https://covid19.colorado.gov/vaccine/where-you-can-get-vaccinated
4. Wear a mask indoors on campus
The campus mask policy, as revised Nov. 1, 2021, remains in effect for the Spring 2022 semester. That means all Mines community members – regardless of vaccination status – are required to wear face masks while indoors on campus except as noted in the policy.
For more details, go to https://www.mines.edu/coronavirus/mask-policy/. Now’s a great time to update/upgrade your mask collection, just in time for a new semester.
-This message is being sent on behalf of Mines’ Pandemic Response Operations Team. The latest updates from Mines are available at mines.edu/coronavirus.