Dear Roadrunners,
At last week’s Town Hall, Metropolitan State University of Denver announced several significant changes regarding booster requirements and mandatory screening testing for unvaccinated students. To recap:
MSU Denver will require all employees and students to receive a Covid-19 vaccine booster
- Covid-19 vaccine boosters have been shown to greatly reduce the risk of severe infection, hospitalization and death.
- If you have not already, please get your booster as soon as possible at the Health Center at Auraria or one of more than 1,000 other providers across the state.
- No action is needed to verify booster status at this time as the University is collaborating with the Colorado Immunization Information System and developing a method and tool to securely and sustainably gather and manage booster data.
- More information on how employees, student employees and students can request an exemption will be available on the Safe Return to Campus website after the University has obtained and reviewed booster data.
- Anyone who receives an exemption may be subject to future mitigation measures and restrictions.
Screening testing of unvaccinated students is suspended immediately
The decision was made in consultation with the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment.
- Because the Omicron variant is as likely to be transmitted among the vaccinated as the unvaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), screening testing of only the unvaccinated is ineffective in mitigating the spread of the disease.
- The decision maximizes testing availability for symptomatic and exposed individuals with the greatest health risk.
KN95 masks available
Masking is still required indoors. Please wear a mask over your nose and mouth when not actively eating or drinking.
More protective surgical KN95 or N95 masks are highly recommended, and MSU Denver Facilities has obtained KN95 masks through the State of Colorado, though inventory is limited.
To pick up masks for your department, please email MSU Denver Facilities at [email protected] and include the number of people in your department and what day and time you can pick up the masks from the Facilities office, located on the third floor of the Jordan Student Success Building. Please be considerate and pick up only the number of masks your office needs. Roadrunners can also visit the JSSB Welcome Desk to pick up single masks.
Please direct mask-related questions to [email protected] or 303-615-1699.
Changes to positive Covid-19 test reporting
Please report any recent positive Covid-19 test results to the Health Center at Auraria using the After-hours Covid-19 Reporting Form, even during business hours, and do not call the office directly. Having a digital record will aid the Health Center at Auraria’s record-keeping and reduce phone calls.
Other updates:
- Stay tuned for more information on the postponed Alternative Work Arrangements Panel.
- The Roadrunners Safe Return Committee is working diligently to make updates to the Covid-19 Dashboard. Check back soon for refreshed data.
- Visit covidtests.gov/ to order your free Covid-19 home testing kits.
Our goal, as it was in the fall, is to balance our mission of providing accessible, enriching education while keeping people safe – whatever their learning, teaching or working modality. As always, thank you all for acting responsibly and with compassion for others to keep our campus community safe.
Sincerely,
Larry Sampler, vice president for Administration