Dear students,
Happy New Year! I’m excited to welcome you back after what I hope was a restful, healthy and fun break. As we prepare to come back together, you may have lots of questions or concerns in the midst of the Omicron variant surge. While public health officials predict that the Omicron surge will be relatively short and Omicron’s symptoms are milder in vaccinated people, it is a more transmissible variant. During this surge, the guidelines below outline what we need to do to protect our community while keeping in-person learning and services. Please do your part!
The spring semester will remain in-person and start as scheduled on Tuesday, Jan. 18.
- Don’t forget masks when packing to come back to campus — wearing a mask in indoor public places on campus is still required, and will be essential as we combat the latest surge of cases. We need each and every student to do their part as mask-wearing is one of the simplest and most effective ways to limit the spread of COVID-19.
- CDC guidance says choose masks that:
- have two or more layers,
- cover your nose and mouth,
- fit snugly,
- don’t have gaps and
- have a nose wire.
- If one of our C19 Ambassadors reminds you about masks, please be respectful — they have been tasked with helping keep us healthy and safe.
- Please get vaccinated or boosted if you are eligible. Vaccination is proven to help lessen the severity of the symptoms of COVID-19 and to keep more people out of the hospital. And, initial data suggest COVID-19 boosters help bolster protection against Omicron.
- The pharmacy at the Student Health Center offers FREE vaccines on a walk-up basis, no appointment necessary. The pharmacy is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., except Thursdays, when it closes at 4 p.m. Find out more about on-campus and off-campus vaccinations.
- The CDC updated the recommended quarantine period for anyone who’s been exposed to COVID-19. See complete details of the updated CDC guidance and information from MSDH: What to Do If You Are Diagnosed with or Exposed to COVID-19 (Isolation and Quarantine).
- Notify your instructors and/or supervisors.
- Have a plan in case you need to quarantine. The university will provide limited quarantine and isolation space for students living on-campus in residence halls.
- Please don’t return to campus until you’ve completed a five-day isolation after the first full day of symptoms, or for five days after your positive test if you never develop symptoms. Notify your instructors and/or supervisors.
- Once you are asymptomatic or have had no fever for 24 hours, make sure you wear a mask around others for five days after your isolation period.
- Report a positive COVID-19 test to the University Health Center.
- Have a plan in case you need to isolate. The university will provide limited quarantine and isolation space for students living on-campus in residence halls.
Testing is an important way to limit spread of the virus.
- Get free symptomatic or asymptomatic COVID-19 testing at the University-Oxford Depot on campus Monday through Saturday. To schedule your test, text “2020” to 833-991-3009 OR click on this link.
- Call Student Health at 662-915-7274 if you need to schedule a symptomatic or asymptomatic test on campus.
- Local clinics offering COVID-19 tests are listed here, and all Mississippians can be tested for free at MSDH testing sites. Lafayette County’s MSDH testing site is at the Oxford Conference Center at 102 Ed Perry Blvd.
Public health officials predict that the Omicron surge will be relatively short, but that it will continue to grow in the coming weeks. To help reach the end of the surge sooner, please hold large group meetings virtually when possible and consider postponing non-essential gatherings or modifying them to reduce the spread. These seemingly small steps can prevent transmission of the virus.
Keeping each other healthy and maintaining in-person learning are our top priorities. As much as we are looking forward to the day when we can put COVID-19 behind us, we still need to work together to protect our community and keep our mission on track. It’s important that each of us do our part to protect our health and educational experiences. Thank you for your dedication to the success of the Ole Miss community — your selflessness and sacrifices do not go unnoticed. Let’s have a great Spring semester!
Be safe. Be well.
Charlotte Fant Pegues
Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs