As we have done consistently since the beginning of the pandemic, the COVID Task Force has been keeping a close eye on the CDC COVID mitigation recommendations, both nationally, and for Dubuque County.
We met this week to finalize our recommendations for COVID protocols during Prolog Week, and for the fall semester.
Please be aware that we continue to monitor the situation, and if things change between now and Prolog, we will adjust accordingly and send updated guidelines.
Guidelines for Prolog Week:
1. Dubuque County is currently in the “medium” category, and so we are basing our recommendations on the CDC guidelines for that category. You can find that information here: https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#county-view?null=19061&data-type=CommunityLevels&list_select_state=Iowa&list_select_county=19061
2. We expect all those who come to campus to be fully vaccinated and boosted. Please follow this link to see what that means for you, depending on your age and the type of vaccine you have received: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/booster-shot.html?s_cid=11754:2nd%20covid%20booster:sem.ga:p:RG:GM:gen:PTN:FY22
3. Because there are members of our community who are immunocompromised and at greater risk, we are strongly encouraging masking [using high quality, tight-fitting masks] in classrooms for everyone; as in the spring, faculty have the option of unmasking while actively teaching. We strongly encourage masking in all indoor spaces for those who are immunocompromised, and for all others, masking is encouraged as well. As we did last fall, there will be a large tent on the seminary lawn for meals, meetings and other gatherings.
4. We also encourage you to bring your own testing kits; at this point, testing is also currently available in several locations in Dubuque. In addition, free kits are available from the government; you can find that information here: https://www.covid.gov/tests
5. Everyone is encouraged to follow CDC guidelines around the need for isolation and quarantine. Their counsel is a little more complicated now; please follow the interactive tool on this website to decide whether or not you need to take action following an exposure: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/quarantine-isolation.html#