Healthy reminders as we start back after break

Posted: November 29, 2021

Dear Gannon community,

Welcome back to campus. We hope you had a happy and healthy Thanksgiving break. As we head into the final few weeks of the semester, here are a few COVID-19 protocols to remember:

• If you are having symptoms of COVID-19 or other illness, please do not come to campus.
• Report your symptoms through LiveSafe. If you are unfamiliar with LiveSafe, learn more about it here. Reporting through LiveSafe is the most efficient way to get through to one of our nurses in the Health Center. They will discuss your symptoms and can help get you in for COVID-19 testing if they think it is necessary.
• If you tested positive for COVID-19 over the break, please report it to the Health Center via LiveSafe to make official university arrangements for your academics.
• Continue to practice healthy COVID mitigation efforts: Wear your mask, keep your distance and avoid congregate settings. COVID-19 is spreading throughout the Erie and Ruskin communities. You are your own best defense against the disease.
• If you are not vaccinated, you should consider getting vaccinated. Reach out to our Health Center if you want help coordinating this. A new variant has been reported and it is raising concern around the globe.
• If you are fully vaccinated and have not reported your status to the Health Center, please do so here.
• If you have received a COVID-19 booster and have not reported it to the Health Center, please do so here.
• Plan ahead for finals, for the Christmas break and for the next semester. By practicing healthy behaviors now, you can give yourself the best chance of avoiding COVID-19-related disruptions to your finals and to your travel home. We will be offering end-of-semester testing to provide reassurance you are headed into the holiday break disease free. Look for more messaging on this next week.
• Watch for additional emails from us. We will be sending a message this week on testing protocols for returning in the spring semester. This will apply to all unvaccinated individuals. We will also likely be updating travel guidance and other mitigation efforts in light of emerging information and community spread.
  

Again, we are happy to have you back. We have had a terrific fall semester, in part because of your commitment to your safety and to the safety of your classmates or colleagues. We are in this together and we can protect ourselves and others by sticking to healthy behaviors, getting vaccinated (or even getting the booster shot), and avoiding campus if ill.