The COVID-19 Monitoring and Response Plan provides general guidance for planning, tracking and decision-making for the 2021-22 academic year in which we expect COVID-19 to have an impact on our campus. The guidelines should lead to appropriate responses in dynamic and sometimes rapidly changing circumstances.
This plan further identifies departments and individuals that are directly responsible and accountable for emergency response and critical support services. It also details a structure for coordinating and deploying essential resources.
On 1 July 2021, the State of Emergency in Maryland that had been in place since March 5, 2020 came to an end, indicating that the COVID-19 outbreak in Maryland had been reduced to a minimal level. Although the number of COVID cases is small, it is not zero and we must continue to remain vigilant to protect those who are not fully vaccinated. The following plan is based on known information about the COVID-19 virus, the effectiveness of the vaccines available now and public health recommendations. The plan will be adjusted as needed as public health professionals learn more about the vaccines and update their recommendations.
Beginning in the fall 2021 semester, vaccines are required of all students and seminarians taking any class on the main campus except for those with an approved exemption for a medical reason or a strongly held religious belief and for fully remote students. Students and seminarians who do not present proof of vaccination or an exemption will not be permitted to reside on campus, attend any in-person or blended classes or participate in athletics. Students attending only the Frederick campus are strongly encouraged to be vaccinated.
The university will continue to monitor the public health situation in Maryland and surrounding states and the implications of this on our operations. The university has a plan in place for identifying and containing any COVID-19 cases on campus. We will be monitoring metrics that indicate the level of exposure of our community to COVID-19. If these metrics reach specified threshold levels, the university’s Emergency Action Team will be engaged to develop a response to protect our community. The President will call meetings of the Emergency Action Team as needed.
If needed, the President will convene an Emergency Action Team to assess the level of health threat to our community, develop appropriate responses to mitigate the threat, and communicate the situation to the community. Team members are:
Student Life and ASPIRE are responsible for the daily monitoring of the following health metrics:
*Isolation is defined as a student moved into the university’s isolation space because of a positive test result for COVID-19.
**Quarantine is defined as a student who is following self-quarantine procedures in their own room or residence because they may have been exposed to someone who tested positive for the coronavirus, have returned from out of state travel, or are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.
According to the level of incidences of COVID-19 cases on campus, the University will adapt its operations as necessary using four Alert Levels. The thresholds or triggers for each level are explained below.
The university will assume a Level One Health Alert for the first two weeks of the Fall 2021 semester until monitoring results can inform the Emergency Action Team. The university will continue to follow the health and safety protocols published in the Mount Safe webpages which includes isolation of COVID-19 cases and performing contact tracing.
The university may consider these additional risk reduction measures among other alternatives:
At Level Three, the university may consider these additional risk reduction measures beyond Level Two among other alternatives:
All decisions and actions of the Emergency Action Team will be communicated first to the President’s Cabinet and, if necessary, to the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees.
The Director of Communications & Public Relations will develop and disseminate messages to the Mount Community regarding Emergency Action Team actions via email and social media.
The Mount Alert system may be used in emergency situations to inform the Mount Community of urgent matters.
Announcements about the health status of specific individuals is restricted by FERPA1.
The Emergency Action Team and other university officials will remain in communication with the Maryland Department of Health and the Frederick County Health Department and will closely monitor their published guidance and requirements.