Dear Lawrentians,
The Lawrence Pandemic Planning Team (LPPT) has been closely watching the continuing evolution of the pandemic around the world and here at home. We have spent the summer reviewing our plans for the upcoming academic year, following ongoing guidance from the CDC and our local health department. Our plans for a fully populated and highly vaccinated campus remain in place.
Last week the CDC updated its guidance based on new information about the transmission of the Delta variant among vaccinated individuals. In communities where there is a “substantial” or “high” level of transmission, the CDC is recommending that all individuals—even those fully vaccinated—wear a mask indoors when in public. Outagamie County has officially moved into the high threshold of transmission, and the City of Appleton has now released its own recommendation that all individuals wear masks indoors in public spaces, regardless of vaccination status.
Effective Tuesday, August 10, 2021, masks will be required indoors in the presence of others, regardless of vaccination status. This policy applies to members of the Lawrence community, as well as visitors. Exceptions to this policy include:
- Students in their residence hall room, adhering to residence life expectations.
- Employees working alone in a private office or partitioned workspace.
- Individuals who are actively eating.
No other restrictions (e.g., distancing, gatherings, visitors, travel, etc.) are required for vaccinated individuals at this time, though we encourage all members of the Lawrence community to use their good judgment in assessing risk factors. Campus signage reflecting this new policy will be updated over the coming week, and the COVID-19 Communications Toolkit will be updated on August 13 with signs that can be downloaded and printed by individual offices.
Our community has continued to Honor the Pledge through the summer months, during which no active cases of COVID-19 on our campus have been reported. Your commitment and dedication to protect the health and safety of our community gives us faith in our ability to return to campus safely this fall. As always, we will continue to monitor closely the local, regional, and national situation, and adjust our policies as needed. Please stay tuned for additional information on what to expect during this fall term coming shortly.
If you have any questions, please email coronainfo@lawrence.edu, and we will get back to you as soon as we can.
Thank you for your continued efforts to keep our community safe.
Be well, and stay well,
Lawrence Pandemic Planning Team
