Dear Students, Faculty and Staff,
We are very eager to welcome everyone back to campus this fall and return to a more traditional Carroll experience with in-person classes and lectures, fans at our athletic events, a slate of student life activities and a full and vibrant campus experience.
Unfortunately, COVID-19 with its associated variants has not abated to the level we were hoping for only weeks ago. We are closely monitoring the emergence of the Delta variant and are adjusting our campus protocols and recommendations in response.
The updated guidance from the CDC recommends mask use in indoor settings in locations experiencing increased COVID-19 transmission and infection. This online data tracker indicates that Lewis and Clark County is currently experiencing a “high” level of community transmission.
In light of this guidance and updated county information, in an effort to best protect our community, we are highly recommending that all individuals, regardless of vaccination status, wear face masks while in communal indoor spaces on campus.
Masks have been a critical tool in mitigating the spread of COVID-19 throughout the course of this pandemic. However, the very best defense you have to diminish the chances of contracting COVID, getting very sick, hospitalized, or experiencing long-term side effects is to get vaccinated. Vaccinations not only protect you but also will help slow further mutations of the virus as well as offer protections to our community, family, friends and those not yet able to receive the vaccine such as children under the age of 12.
In addition to recommending mask usage, Carroll is currently testing all of our students as they arrive on campus and will be requiring masks in the classrooms for at least the first two weeks of classes. We will also have a mobile vaccination clinic on campus on August 23 and at other points throughout the semester. In the meantime, please consider getting your first dose vaccination at home and we can help facilitate your second dose once you return to campus.
Let’s “show our halo” by testing, masking up, vaccinating, and doing our part to protect our community!
Stay healthy and go, Saints!
John E. Cech, Ph.D.
President