A message from the Bring Huskies Home Team:
Dear Campus Community,
As Spring Break comes to a close and we return to campus, there are a few new safety protocols to bring to your attention.
The number of COVID cases continue to decline in Stearns, Benton and Sherburne counties. These counties, and almost all counties in Minnesota, have declined to CDC’s Low COVID-19 Community Level.
Starting Tuesday, March 15, masking will no longer be required on campus. Please note, and as shared in Chancellor Malhotra’s memo (March 1), as colleges and universities make the shift away from masking, this is “an institution-wide determination and individual faculty or staff cannot deviate from the institution’s overall approach”.
Therefore, students, faculty and staff will not be required to wear a mask anywhere on campus. However, anyone can choose to wear a mask at any time on campus for their own personal safety, and should be supported for that decision.
Let’s continue to protect the pack. Some other safety protocol updates and reminders:
- Testing/Proof of Vaccination. As highlighted in last week’s campus communication, starting Monday, March 14, there will no longer be a proof of vaccination or testing requirement for students living in residence halls or other activities designated by the college or university. The testing requirements for student athletes will remain in place. Students participating in internships and/or clinical experiences may be required to test or vaccinate if the clinical/internship site requires them.For the time being, MMB HR/LR policy #1446 COVID-19 Proof of Vaccination and Testing for employees (including student employees), contractors, and vendors remains in place.
- Test Kits/Event. COVID-19 testing kits will continue to be available for the campus community for free and while supplies last. Starting Monday, March 14 they will located at information desks in the Administrative Services building, the Miller Center, and Atwood.Cloud State will be offering a COVID-19 testing event to all employees and students on March 15, from 1-3:30 p.m. This testing will be held in Atwood in the Cascade room — please note the change in location from previous testing events.
The National Guard Armory in St. Cloud continues to offer free saliva testing Monday-Friday, with the current hours of 11 a.m.-6 p.m. No appointment is needed, and walk-ins are welcome. Check the MDH community testing locations website for information.
- Case Reporting. Weekly case reporting of student and employee cases will continue at least through the remainder of the spring semester.
- For domestic travel, approval of college/university sponsored domestic travel requests by students, faculty, or staff will revert to the existing campus process. For international travel for employees, campus presidents can continue to approve international travel to countries under a level 1 or level 2 travel advisory from the US Department of State. Travel to level 3 or level 4 countries will continue to require prior approval from the system office (System Procedure 5.19.3).
While the decreasing number of cases is a promising new development, we continue to encourage all members of our campus community to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and stay up to date with boosters. If you are not feeling well, get tested and stay home when sick. We will continue to monitor campus and county conditions and communicate the safety status of campus to our community.
We are truly thankful for everyone’s hard work and commitment to keep our campus safe as we respond to the conditions of the pandemic. Despite the challenges, and because of everyone’s efforts, we managed to stay open, hold campus traditions, serve our students and help them meet their educational goals. Thank you and, Go Huskies!
Update on 3/15/22:
In response to questions, we would like to clarify that CDC and MDH masking guidelines for healthcare facilities remain unchanged at this time, and masking is still required at healthcare facilities.
Therefore, no one will be required to wear a mask anywhere on campus except for when they are in a healthcare site, which at St. Cloud State, includes the Medical Clinic, Counseling & Psychological Services, the Speech-Language and Hearing Clinic, Athletics Training/Sports Medicine Facility, and the Husky Hub COVID testing center