The University of Georgia says this is the final week for most of the protocols that have been in place throughout the coronavirus pandemic. The statement comes from Dr. Shelly Nuss, dean of the Augusta University/University of Georgia Medical Partnership and co-chair of UGA’s Medical Oversight Task Force.
From UGA…
To: UGA Faculty, Staff and Students
From: Dr. Shelley Nuss, AU/UGA Medical Partnership Campus Dean and Co-Chair of the Medical Oversight Task Force
Jennifer Swails, Interim Director for University Health Center and Co-Chair of the Medical Oversight Task Force
Re: Changes to COVID-19 Campus Response
As we approach the close of the Spring Semester, we would like to express our gratitude to our faculty, staff and students for your patience and flexibility over the past two years. Through your collective efforts, the University of Georgia has persevered through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. We offer a special thanks to the members of the Preventive Measures Advisory Board and the Medical Oversight Task Force for their diligent work in keeping the campus community safe.
Many in our community are now vaccinated or boosted. The University Health Center continues to offer first, second and booster doses of the Pfizer vaccine free of charge to faculty, staff, students and their eligible dependents aged 16 and up. To date, the UHC has provided more than 33,000 COVID vaccinations and conducted nearly 120,000 asymptomatic and symptomatic tests.
As the COVID-19 pandemic transitions and public health conditions and treatments improve, UGA will begin treating COVID-19 as we do any other infectious disease cases. On May 16, 2022, we will discontinue the following COVID-19 measures on campus:
- Weekly health and exposure updates on the COVID-19 website (a final update will publish on May 18, 2022);
- Weekend call center staffing by Student Care and Outreach;
- Accommodations for isolation and quarantine housing;
- Pop-up and surveillance testing; and
- Dawgcheck as a reporting tool for positive cases.
Additionally, in light of the recent federal court decision, the University System of Georgia no longer requires the use of masks on campus transportation, consistent with other major transportation providers.
As always, if viral conditions change substantially, we will be ready to adapt to keep our community safe. We are maintaining a license for the DawgCheck notification system should it need to be redeployed, and we will continue to provide health and safety counsel to senior administrators as needed. We are constantly monitoring local, national, and global viral conditions and will make changes to our policies if necessary.
Thank you once again for doing your part to help keep us Georgia Strong/Dawg Strong. Have a safe and healthy summer.