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February 26, 2021 – Threshold Action Level Update

Dear Whitman Community,

As I write this week’s update on our Threshold Action Level, there is cause for cautious optimism about COVID-19 conditions on our campus, in Walla Walla and beyond. We are pleased that surveillance testing results from last week and this week do not show evidence of campus transmission and that Walla Walla County’s COVID cases continue to drop, but the emergence of new, more contagious variants leave us wary of what may happen if those strains enter our community. Vaccine distribution is reaching more of the most vulnerable people, but we don’t know when to realistically expect the majority of our faculty, staff and students will be able to be vaccinated.

Keeping these factors in mind, the cabinet, elected faculty leadership and our consulting epidemiologist determined that Whitman will remain in Threshold Action Level 2: Medium with the following activity changes going into effect tomorrow, Saturday, Feb. 27:

  • Residence halls may re-open to inter-campus visitors. Any visits must comply with the following rules:

    • An on-campus student may host one person from another residence hall in their private room only. Visitors from off campus are not allowed.

    • Visitors are not permitted in residence hall public spaces.

    • The visitor must be met at the entrance by the hosting student and travel directly to the private room.

    • Hosts and visitors must wear face masks and maintain six feet of distance throughout the visit.

    • Students will continue to have swipe card access only to their own residence hall.

  • Students may gather outdoors on campus in groups of up to 15 people. Everyone in such a gathering must wear a mask and maintain six feet of distance from other participants.

  • Student clubs and organizations may submit proposals to hold outdoor activities and gatherings of up to 15 people. Contact Juli Dunn in Student Activities to discuss what must be included in proposals and submit them for review.

  • Off-campus residents may gather for indoor visits of up to a total of five people from two households and outdoor visits of up to 15 people from two households in accordance with Phase 2 of the Washington State Roadmap to Recovery. Everyone in such a gathering must wear a mask and maintain six feet distance from other participants.

  • We will resume socially-distanced in-person dining for students at Cleveland Commons and Jewett Cafe. 

    • Sit-down dining in Jewett Cafe is available only to student-athletes currently in the practice and competition season; other students may place grab-and-go orders from Jewett Cafe. 

  • We will open Cleveland Commons and Jewett Cafe to grab-and-go meals for employees. Faculty and staff may order takeaway meals but may not use sit-down dining at this time.

  • We will open BFFC, the Climbing Wall and the outdoor tennis courts for recreational student use. Because strict occupancy limits will be in place in accordance with state guidelines, we are not opening these facilities to employees at this time.

    • BFFC access information: all students wishing to use BFFC for recreational activity must make an online reservation and follow all guidelines on mask wearing, social distancing, equipment usage and other health and safety protocols. You must be wearing a mask and show your campus-approval badge to enter. BFFC hours will be:
      Saturdays: 9:30 a.m.–10:15 p.m.
      Sunday:  12–11 p.m.
      Mondays/Wednesdays: 8–10:45 a.m. and 12:45–4:30 p.m.
      Tuesdays/Thursdays: 12:45–3:30 p.m.
      Fridays: 11 a.m.–3 p.m. and 6 p.m.–10:45 p.m.

    • Climbing Wall access information: all students wishing to access the Climbing Wall for open climb must watch a video on the Climbing Wall’s COVID-19 practices, make an online reservation and follow all guidelines on mask wearing, social distancing, equipment usage and other health and safety protocols. You must be wearing a mask and show your campus-approval badge to enter. More details are on the Climbing Wall webpage. Open climb hours are:
      Saturday: 1–6:45 p.m.
      Sunday: 2–6:45 p.m.
      Monday: 5:30–7:15 p.m. and 9–9:45 p.m.
      Tuesday: 8–9:45 p.m.
      Wednesday: 5:30–7:15 p.m.
      Thursday: 8–9:45 p.m.
      Friday: 11 a.m.–12:45 p.m. and 5–7:45 p.m.

As excited as we are about increasing activity levels on campus, it’s important to remember that this is only possible because masking, distancing, avoiding social gatherings, monitoring ourselves for symptoms and participating in pooled surveillance testing helps us reduce the likelihood of COVID spreading in our campus community. Following these best practices improves the likelihood that we will be able to continue loosening restrictions both on and off campus in the following weeks.

Best,
Peter Harvey
Chair, Coronavirus Task Force

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