COVID-19 Read:  Mask Wearing Update – Changes Starting March 25 Following Return from Spring Break

In this communication:

• Clarkson’s mask wearing requirement in classrooms is scheduled to change after 5pm on Friday, March 25, 2022
  
• Please keep carrying a mask with you and showing respect to those who wear masks and to those who may ask you to also wear one around them, including in the classroom.
  
• COVID-19 testing is encouraged for those traveling back from spring break.

Background

We continue to evaluate Clarkson’s mask wearing policy and the University’s overall response to COVID-19 as New York State and our national leaders shift from pandemic to endemic measures based on the declining positivity rate and other data related to the Omicron variant.  

COVID-19 Community Levels in St. Lawrence, Schenectady and Dutchess Counties, where we have campus operations, are now all classified as low by the CDC.  There are currently no active cases of COVID-19 reported among our Clarkson employees or students.  

Mask Wearing Requirement in Classrooms Slated to End March 25

As we finish this week and head into Spring Break, we continue to ask all members of our community to wear a mask in the classroom, with faculty/presenters continuing the option to remove their mask while presenting to others during this time.  With people returning from all parts of the country after break ends on March 20, we will keep wearing masks in classrooms for the remainder of that week and then move to masks being optional in all indoor spaces after 5pm on Friday, March 25, 2022 with some limited exceptions as noted below.  

Everyone Asked to Keep Carrying a Mask with them on Campus.

• People can post “Thank you for wearing a mask*” on their office/residence door, which will indicate that visitors to that office/residence are required to wear a mask during interactions in these spaces.
  
• Faculty can also continue to ask that classes wear masks. 
  
• As part of exercising Clarkson’s value of caring, everyone is requested to respect when someone wearing a mask near you indoors asks you to wear a mask, and that you then wear one.

• Everyone is required to wear a mask in the Student Health Center and the College Connector bus/public transportation to continue to comply with the components of the NYS mask mandate that remain in place.

• People with symptoms or exposure to someone with COVID-19 should wear a mask.  They should also seek testing for COVID-19 through SHAC or the NYS testing sites.   
  

COVID-19 Testing Encouraged to Return to Campus After Break 

All members of the Clarkson community who travel over spring break are encouraged to do a COVID-19 self-test or visit a testing clinic prior to returning to campus when classes resume on March 21 to further support the health and safety of the Clarkson community. 

Thank You 

Clarkson is a safe place to work, live, study and visit.  We have a robust vaccination requirement; policies in place for persons who are sick, including accessible COVID-19 testing for symptomatic individuals, and for persons who want optional testing; and we continue to encourage good hand hygiene and social distancing practices.

Thank you for being Golden Knights caring about your community. 

COVID-19 Response Leads

Anthony G. Collins, President
Robyn Hannigan, Provost
Amy McGaheran, Chief Human Resources Officer
Kelly Chezum, VP for External Relations
Brian Grant, VP for Enrollment & Student Advancement
Joshua Fiske, Chief Information Officer
Scott Smalling, Director of Athletics & Recreation
Erica Arnold, Environmental Health & Safety Manager, Emergency Response Manager