Effective Monday, Aug. 9, the University of Louisville will require masks in public, indoor spaces for all university members.
This decision is based on the CDC’s recommendation for areas with substantial and high levels of transmission to begin masking again, regardless of vaccination status. The decision has been vetted by university health experts and multiple campus committees and groups who have been helping to shape the university’s COVID-19 response plans since the beginning of the pandemic.
What we know
Jefferson County has been identified as an area with a substantial level of transmission and our county has a low level of vaccinated individuals. Based on the Kentucky immunization registry, we know that at least 30% of students and 67.7% of faculty and staff are fully vaccinated. Campus Health does not have access to out-of-state vaccination records. Please follow these instructions to upload yours if you were vaccinated outside of Kentucky.
Our HSC students and our student-athletes are leading the way with increasing our student vaccination rate; 85% of our student-athletes and 82% of our dentistry students are already vaccinated.
Get vaccinated, help us reach 80%
It’s simple and easy to get vaccinated. All three of the vaccines available in the United States are safe and effective and are approved for use by the Food and Drug Association. Unless the CDC changes its recommendation, we plan to suspend our mask requirement when we reach an 80% vaccination rate in both our student and employee populations.
A vaccination dashboard will be available soon as a tab on the current Testing Dashboard and we will send out updates throughout the semester via UofL Today on what the current vaccination rates are.
Guidance and reminders for fall
Our fall guidance and protocols are being updated on the university COVID-19 website. Visit the Faculty tab, Employees tab, and FAQs for classroom and procedural guidance. Here are the highlights:
- All university members are required to mask in public, indoor spaces, regardless of vaccination status. Public, indoor spaces are defined as any space inside a campus building that is not considered a private room or private office. Indoor classrooms, academic labs, common areas, libraries, hallways, elevators and restrooms are all considered public spaces that are subject to the mask requirement.
- Testing is required for unvaccinated university members starting Aug. 17. For the full testing schedule, visit the Testing Program section of the COVID-19 website. Vaccinated university members are welcome to sign up for testing if they choose.
- Faculty guidance for classrooms this semester is posted on the Faculty tab of the COVID-19 website. Visit this site for information on classroom procedures, attendance expectations and more.
- Staff should continue following their department’s Return to Campus Plan and review HR’s Return to Campus Guidance & Resources site for policies and questions.
- New COVID-19 Training Awareness videos are being finalized. In coming weeks, Campus Health will send out instructions for how to complete this year’s trainings.
- If you develop symptoms of COVID-19, you should: stay home, notify your supervisor, notify Campus Health and contact your medical provider.
- Our contact tracing team of dedicated university health professionals will continue to trace, notify, and properly advise any individuals who may have been exposed to a positive COVID-19 person. See the Contact Tracing section of the COVID-19 website for more details about exposure, isolation and quarantine.
- Physical Plant will continue conducting cleaning and disinfection of frequently occupied spaces and frequently touched surfaces, in accordance with CDC guidelines.
- If you have questions or concerns, review the updated FAQs or contact the Business Operations COVID-19 Support Team. This team keeps us regularly informed.
Our university health experts and committees will continue to meet frequently as we closely monitor this daily evolving situation, and we will be ready to make changes to our plans and protocols should that become necessary. Please do your part and get vaccinated as soon as possible. Increasing our campus-wide vaccination rate is our best defense against the virus and its variants. The quicker we increase our vaccination rates, the quicker we can ease our restrictions.
