Public health update: Jan. 11, 2022

Dear OHIO community members,

Welcome back to our campuses and into our learning spaces. 

First, I want to clarify that Athens campus students who did not complete their required pre-semester COVID-19 test may still attend classes and campus activities. Please schedule and complete a test at our Vault Health testing center by Friday, Jan. 21, if you have not done so already. (Those who are on the Weekly Testing Pathway and/or who are in one of the groups that President Sherman recently announced must test weekly do not need to complete more than one test in any given week unless notified of an exposure.)  

Because the University is prioritizing in-person teaching and learning, as President Sherman announced Sunday, we have implemented some additional public health protocols for the beginning of Spring Semester to help safeguard our community: 

• Transitioning non-classroom in-person events, gatherings, and meetings to virtual formats when possible. 
• Upgrading our mask policy to specify higher-filtration masks and providing those masks to the OHIO community. 
• Not serving food, drinks, or concessions at in-person events, de-densifying dining spaces, and promoting to-go options at dining halls. There will be no charge for reusable takeout containers through January.
• Not permitting off-campus students and non-OHIO guests to visit residence halls at this time. Residential students may still visit other residential students at any residence hall. 

Additionally, we are requiring the following groups to complete a weekly asymptomatic test until further notice (unless they are already on the Weekly Testing Pathway, in which case they do not need to complete more than one test a week unless notified of an exposure):

• All students living in University housing, regardless of vaccination status 
• All residents of recognized sorority and fraternity properties, regardless of vaccination status 
• All students and employees who have an approved exemption for the University’s vaccination requirement .
• All new students and employees who have not yet acted on the University’s vaccination requirement or are in process.

These individuals must complete their first weekly test by the end of the day this Friday, January 14. Individuals can schedule a test on the Athens campus or pick up a test on regional campuses.

For students, faculty, and staff who are not required to test weekly, we encourage you to take regular asymptomatic COVID-19 tests as part of your personal prevention strategy and to help the University monitor transmission. 

Individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 are exempt from testing for 90 days from the date of the positive test provided they report their positive test result via this incident report form.  

The University continues to require COVID-19 vaccination or an approved exemption, strongly encourages boosters, and offers vaccinations and boosters on OHIO campuses.

As OHIO has done since the beginning of the pandemic, we continue to follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance and consult with state and local public health officials on our public health response. Because omicron is more contagious, Ohio University has made its public health approach more rigorous during this surge. We will continue to monitor transmission and again dial these measures back when it is appropriate. 

Tips for contacting COVID Operations during this busy time

Since New Year’s Day, we have identified approximately 1,600 positive cases among our OHIO community. Most of these were detected during the break while students were still at home, but we expect this surge to continue on our campuses, as it is throughout the state and the country. 

The exponential case increase has kept COVID Operations staff very busy, and our call volume is extremely high. If you are trying to reach our staff, please keep in mind:

• COVID Operations responds to every call, email, and incident report, prioritizing responses based on symptoms and risks of spreading the virus. If you have contacted COVID Operations or submitted an Incident Report Form, a COVID Campus Liaison will be in touch as soon as they are able after helping the individuals who are in the queue in front of you.
• While we make every effort to respond in a timely manner, you may experience long wait times. If you have already left a phone message, sent us an email, or submitted an incident report, please do not submit additional calls or emails to COVID Operations.
• We understand waiting for a reply can be frustrating, but if you submit only one message it will help us move through our queue and get back to you faster. 
• Knowing the OHIO COVID-19 Protocol in advance will help you know what to do if you test positive, experience symptoms, or are exposed to COVID-19. The protocol will also help you know what to do while you wait to hear back from us.  

Negative tests are not green lights

OHIO’s asymptomatic testing strategy has been incredibly effective at identifying cases and exposures on our campuses – stopping the spread of disease. However, a negative test result is negative only at the time it was collected. An individual could potentially be positive hours later, so a negative test is not a signal to let down our guard. Rather, testing is meant to be used with all the other public health protection layers. For example, if that same individual who tested negative is vaccinated and boosted, wears a well-fitting mask, and avoids large crowds, they are much more likely to remain negative.

Because no single measure alone is 100 percent effective at preventing infection from this virus, I hope each of us will use as many of these safeguards as we can to protect our health. Remember when we protect ourselves, we are also protecting our friends, family members, and community members. Together we can make a difference in our OHIO communities by stopping the spread of this disease, which will reduce its impact on our campus activities, our local health care systems, and the people who work in them.

Dr. Gillian Ice
Special Assistant to the President for Public Health Operations