Now that campus life has returned to pre-COVID procedures in most cases, Emporia State University President Allison Garrett is grateful for the efforts of everybody at ESU for their work to minimize the spread of the virus.
Mask use, social distancing and extra disinfection may no longer be needed except at the Student Wellness Center after action announced by ESU on Monday. Garrett thanked the maintenance, information technology and student wellness departments for their work behind the scenes as well as faculty for having to adjust how they teach.
Garrett says the combination of longstanding mitigation strategies dating back to spring 2020 and the availability of vaccines starting in January “helped to greatly reduce the number of COVID cases on our campus and in our community.” She thanked the Emporia City Commission for enacting a mask mandate last year — saying ESU would have had to delay opening up the fall term last year or send students shortly after beginning classes. She also says ESU opened up in-person classes last summer and had more in-person offerings available to students than other universities across the state.
5 pm Monday: COVID-19 protocols now over at Emporia State
Campus life has returned to normal for Emporia State University.
All COVID-19 protocols, including mask use, six-foot social distancing spaces and extra disinfection, officially ended Monday. The only exception to the mask use policy is the Student Wellness Center, which is still requiring mask use because of its status as a healthcare facility. Social distancing, meanwhile, is no longer required, either inside campus buildings or outside.
President Allison Garrett says the combination of longstanding mitigation strategies dating back to spring 2020 and the availability of vaccines starting in January “helped to greatly reduce the number of COVID cases on our campus and in our community.” ESU had 299 total confirmed COVID-19 cases, with only 55 cases for the spring term.
Garrett asked everybody to be respectful of students and colleagues who decide to wear masks and use social distancing methods. With ESU now a partner in the #VaxToNormal vaccination and incentive campaign beginning this week, Garrett also encouraged everybody to get vaccinated if they haven’t already done so.
