Dear Faculty and Staff,
The numbers this week have increased, and have increased in a way that really makes us worry more.
This links to an 11-minute video about this week’s sobering numbers.
In short, the number of cases is up, and while all cases have been traced, they are from a much larger number of separate pods.
We do think that class continues to be a safe place to go, provided that faculty and students are following our campus protocols, maintaining distance, wearing masks, and so on. We have heard reports that some classes and many student activities are not following the guidelines, and that is a cause for concern. Please double down on your efforts to follow the guidelines. If necessary, work to find a new space if the one you have isn’t meeting your needs. We need to stay on this.
New guidance is recommending that people wear a double mask: a surgical mask along with a cloth mask. This makes a lot of sense to us, especially as the new variants are starting to reach our area. This does take a bit of getting used to, but clearly adds an extra layer of protection.
We also don’t know when we’ll be getting the vaccine made available for faculty, staff, and students, given the re-prioritizing that the state but we continue to be hope that Missouri will keep improving numbers in these areas. What continues to be true is that as soon as you have a chance to get the vaccine, we think that you should take the opportunity.
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Although we aim these videos and sheets for faculty and staff, please do share this information or the video with students in your classes and elsewhere. This information is shared with all students via Blackboard page and sent directly to all Truman faculty and staff.
Our earlier videos and Tip Sheets are available here:
https://www.truman.edu/coronavirus/covid-19-working-group-videos/
If you have questions or topics you’d like to know more about, please contact us at: ndmoore@truman.edu
-Faculty Senate COVID-19 Working Group
(Nancy Daley-Moore, Christine Harker, and Scott Alberts)