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July 30, 2021
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Columbia students, faculty and staff,
 
Cook County, home to Columbia College Chicago, reached the CDC-defined "substantial" level of COVID-19 community transmission. Accordingly, based on guidance from both the CDC and State of Illinois, masks will now be required indoors at Columbia College Chicago, starting today, Friday, July 30. This applies regardless of your vaccination status -- please disregard any signage you may see on campus allowing some individuals to be unmasked. 
 
"Substantial" is defined by the CDC as between 50 and 99 new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents over the previous week. Cook County is now at roughly 52 cases per 100,000. 
 
There are five weeks to go before the fall semester begins; we cannot predict how long Cook County and Chicago will stay at a "substantial" level of COVID-19 transmission, and therefore it is too soon to know what the impact of the new mask requirement may be on some aspects of in-person classroom instruction this fall. We will continue to analyze guidance and pandemic numbers, coordinate with local health officials, and announce any necessary changes to our fall semester plans.

It is important to stress that we remain committed to a vibrant in-person experience at Columbia this fall, both inside and outside the classroom. A sizable majority of faculty, staff, and students have already verified their vaccination status, adding to our confidence and optimism that we can safely return this fall to the vibrant mix of in-person interactions that define the Columbia experience. 
 
As a reminder, Columbia has put in place many precautions: requiring vaccination for students, requiring unvaccinated employees to be tested regularly, a system to track who is vaccinated, as well as continued lower classroom capacities. We are confident these measures will allow us to have a successful semester regardless of masking requirements.

Please refer to colum.edu and @columbiachi social media handles for the most up-to-date information about masking requirements, vaccine status reporting, and ways to test on campus. 
 
Thank you for your continued cooperation in our collective efforts to prioritize the health and well-being of our campus community.
 

Copyright © 2021 Columbia College Chicago, All rights reserved.



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