Covid Protocols Fall 2021

 I am copying below the new Covid protocols announced today by Chancellor Green.

Since I am fully vaccinated, I will not wear a mask in class. Wearing a mask makes it almost impossible for me to teach to the best of my abilities. However, anyone who wishes to wear a mask (or two masks), is welcome to do so.

Here are the new guidelines which you should take care to comply with:

Use of Personal Protection

As noted previously, our classrooms will return to full in-person capacity this Fall, as will our dining halls, Campus Recreation, Unions, Libraries, and other public spaces.

Those who are fully vaccinated are not required to wear face coverings, but are strongly encouraged to do so indoors. You have likely read that the CDC recently advised fully vaccinated individuals to wear face coverings indoors in areas of substantial or high transmission (which is the current status in Lancaster County). As cases of the Delta variant increase in Nebraska, we will continue to closely coordinate with LLCHD and will adapt if needed and necessary should directed health measures change.

Anyone who is unvaccinated remains susceptible to infection, particularly the highly transmissible Delta variant, and is expected to wear a face covering. If you are unable, or unwilling, to protect yourself and others with a vaccine, it is critically important that you utilize other protective measures.

We know that there are many in our community who have family members who are unable to be vaccinated. Instructors who face these circumstances (e.g., with family members too young to be vaccinated) may request that face coverings be worn in their classes.

People may choose to wear a face covering for a variety of reasons, so no one should assume that someone who wears one is unvaccinated. Respect and grace for each other have been essential elements of our successful management of the pandemic thus far. I ask everyone in our community to continue to show goodwill toward others as we continue to face this challenge together.

 At the end of the day, the best thing anyone can do to maximize individual liberty and minimize the risks of Covid is to get vaccinated.   

I try to always remember: "People willing to trade their freedom for temporary security deserve neither and will lose both." --Ben Franklin