IMPORTANT MESSAGE REGARDING COVID FROM CHANCELLOR DR. STEVE COLE
August 11, 2021
With vaccination rates being lower than expected and a spike in the Delta variant presently occurring, UA Cossatot has been monitoring the CDC and the prevailing local health conditions to make decisions designed to protect our students and employees. Yesterday, the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees passed a resolution that stated in part “…WHEREAS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended that, based on the spread of the Delta variant, communities with high transmission of COVID-19 should require individuals, regardless of vaccination status, to wear face coverings in indoor public settings; and WHEREAS the Board passed a resolution in May 2020 directing UA System institutions to adopt policies requiring face coverings in university facilities when physical distancing cannot be assured, and that such policies remain in effect as long as the use of face coverings is recommended by the CDC…”.
Based on this directive, and after meeting with our employees and Board of Visitors, beginning Monday, August 16th, all UA Cossatot campuses will require face coverings according to Procedure 1000, which requires that faculty, staff, students, and visitors are required to wear a face covering while in campus facilities. The following indoor exceptions apply to this procedure:
· Employees working alone in their offices.
· Participating in activities in which a face covering cannot be worn, or would prohibit normal breathing functions (such as eating, drinking, playing sports).
· Individuals with a documented disability.
· Instructors in outdoor or shop-type areas.
This face covering requirement will be in effect until the CDC designates all four counties in our service area as YELLOW (Moderate Risk) or GREEN (Low Risk). All four counties are currently RED (High Risk). I have included a link to the CDC Tracker here:
https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/.
We will post CDC updates on our UA Cossatot website and all social media platforms. We will also send students email updates as conditions change.
It has been widely reported the strain the Delta variant has placed on our medical communities. In fact, our regional facilities are feeling the strain more now than ever before. We feel it is our obligation to make every reasonable effort to mitigate the spread of this virus and the highly contagious Delta variant. There is no doubt we must all work together to mitigate COVID by making safe and informed decisions, especially while the threat of this virus is high. The health and safety of our students and staff will remain my highest priority.
Please consider being vaccinated and please wear a mask!
Chancellor Cole