Author: Eleftharia Giannopoulos

Dear Fellow Patriots:

I have more encouraging news to share about our management of COVID-19. The presence of the virus is now at a low point both on Mason’s campuses and in surrounding communities. Our positivity rates have remained well below 1 percent and community transmission in Fairfax County is now categorized as “low.”

The current low level of COVID-19 means that we can take another step forward. Effective immediately, Mason campuses are mask-optional, except in certain event venues, healthcare settings, on public transit, or childcare settings. We are now also COVID test-optional, with the exception of unvaccinated, high-contact students. Visit the Safe Return to Campus page for when and where masks and tests are still required.  

Every Mason Patriot should feel free to practice the masking measures that make you feel safe. If you feel more comfortable wearing a mask, we support you. If you choose not to wear a mask where they are optional, we support you as well.

There are steps that we will take to keep our community healthy and safe:

• We encourage all students, faculty, and staff to continue to complete the Mason COVID Health Check each day prior to coming to a campus, through Spring Commencement on May 20.
• We ask that all students, faculty and staff get tested when they feel symptomatic, either at Student Health Services or at the Peterson Hall testing site.
• And FREE 2^nd booster shots for anyone over 50, per CDC and VDH guidelines are available at the Fenwick Testing and Vaccination Center. 

Your dedication and compassion for your fellow Patriots has contributed to our success. Let’s keep going and finish this spring semester healthy and safe.

Onward,

Gregory Washington
President

Dear Fellow Patriots:

At long last, it can be said: George Mason University is winning the battle against COVID-19. We have not won yet, but we are close. I am writing to share with you steps that we are preparing to take as the omicron variant’s presence continues to fall.

At the approach of the two-year anniversary of COVID-19’s arrival, Mason is seeing light at the end of this very long tunnel. As we have seen throughout the pandemic, Mason continues to maintain some of the lowest rates of transmission of any university in the nation, making it one of the safest places anywhere to weather the pandemic. This did not happen by accident.

We are here because our approach worked, and so did you. Guided by CDC recommendations, we realized early that only by requiring masking, frequent testing (including pretesting of our on-campus students), isolation and quarantine, and full vaccination would we have a shot at keeping COVID-19 in check. In turn, you took those measures seriously and observed them in unity.

Today, nearly 93 percent of the campus community is fully vaccinated, which far exceeds Virginia’s 69 percent and the nation’s 64 percent full vaccination rates. What’s more, our positivity rate from all sources of testing is down to 2.4 percent and dropping.

Given our high vaccination rate, the continued decline of the omicron variant, the Governor’s recent executive orders and directives, and the recent Attorney General’s opinion, we will now strongly encourage vaccination protocols for all Mason students, faculty, and staff, though we no longer require them. We also strongly encourage everyone to upload their vaccination status so we can continue to understand the effect of the virus on campus community.

In addition, I am very pleased to share that we are setting a university goal of Friday, March 4 as the day we can consider lifting university-wide masking requirements. The weekend spring break starts will mark the two-year anniversary since COVID-19 first disrupted our campuses, and so early March will be a fitting time to consider changing course. We would, however, continue to strongly encourage masking indoors and when required for isolation or quarantine, per CDC guidance.

To get there successfully, we will need to keep a consistent positivity rate among our tests of 4 percent or less for the next five weeks. Testing will remain a requirement for students who are at higher risk for transmission, such as those in our residence halls, athletic programs, and the unvaccinated. In order to accomplish our goal, I strongly encourage everyone to continue the four steps that have gotten us this far: keep masking, get vaccinated and boosted, stay home when sick, and keep testing when you receive an email reminder.

I understand the concept of personal freedom. But we must also understand the need for collective responsibility, and just because we can do something does not mean that we should. We have shown that we can manage COVID-19 and keep people safe, and you have stuck with us on this journey.

If we can hang in there for just five more weeks, we can finally make COVID-19 controllable so it stops controlling us. Once we reach this milestone we can consider reducing our masking protocols to encourage people to wear masks as they see prudent. Should unforeseeable conditions arise and bring a return of COVID-19 to pandemic levels at Mason, we will need to reverse course.

Can we power through the next five weeks? Of course we can. As we have proven for two years straight, we know what to do, what it takes to do it, and what the outcomes are when we pull together to get the job done. So, fellow Patriots, let’s finish the job.

Sincerely,

Gregory Washington
President

In observance of Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s Executive Directive issued January 15 for managing responses to COVID-19, George Mason University will now strongly encourage employees to receive COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters, and to share their vaccination status with Mason. Campus mechanisms to obtain and store this information will remain in place. This is a departure from our requirement issued earlier.

National data and our own continue to show that vaccines have been proven to be the single most effective means to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and the severity of its symptoms.

All other masking and testing requirements remain in place at this time.

Dear Mason Patriots:

As we prepare to return for the Spring 2022 semester, I am writing to give you important updates on how we plan to manage operations with current pandemic conditions. The arrival of the omicron variant has changed many of the rules of engagement, and it is now the predominant strain in the local area.

Given the highly infectious nature of omicron, we have seen unprecedented numbers of Mason students, staff, and faculty contracting the virus. While the numbers are sobering, we are prepared to manage under current conditions. We continue to see milder symptoms among those who are vaccinated, especially among those who have received their booster shot.

This spring we are guided by three goals for success: preserving health and safety, minimizing operational disruptions, and stopping the spread of the virus to hasten the end of the pandemic.  We urge administrative and academic units to review their contingency plans and update them as appropriate.

In order to achieve our goals, we will do the following:

Return to classes – Mason is prepared for spring classes, and we will return to in-person instruction as planned. Mason is tracking the rate of transmission of active cases, monitoring for outbreaks, and working with public health officials to craft our Covid response. If conditions demand, changes to Mason’s public health policies and operations will be announced via email.

Vaccination – We are requiring that all students, staff, and faculty (without a vaccine exemption), who are eligible to receive booster shots, get them and upload their new documentation to the Mason health services portal by February 15. All new students, faculty, and staff must upload their vaccination status within 2 weeks of their eligibility date or request an exemption. Please visit https://www.gmu.edu/safe-return-campus/vaccination-requirements to learn more about our vaccination requirements.

Surveillance testing – All faculty and staff are required to take a Covid test January 18-23, prior to the start of spring classes. An email will be distributed to those who are required to test with information on how to test on campus, off campus, or request an exception to this requirement. An aggressive residential student Covid surveillance testing strategy is also being implemented during the first weeks of this semester to gather baseline information on the prevalence of Covid on campus.  Learn more about the safe return guidelines for students at https://housing.gmu.edu/spring-2022.

Diagnostic testing – Diagnostic tests can be hard to come by in the community, so Mason will offer drive-up diagnostic testing for employees starting January 18 at Peterson Hall. The appointment scheduler opens January 16 for January 18 appointments at https://gmu.medicatconnect.com/. Learn more about diagnostic testing at https://www.gmu.edu/safe-return-campus/personal-and-public-health/covid-19-testing.

We continue to offer students diagnostic testing and medical care through Student Health Services. To mitigate potential exposures, please do not visit one of Mason’s surveillance test sites if you are symptomatic.

Masks – Masking requirements remain in place, with the added encouragement to wear either KN95 or N95 masks. Cloth masks are proving to be less effective at stopping the circulation of microdroplets that carry the omicron variant of Covid. Mason will offer a free N95 mask to students, faculty, and staff at Mason’s COVID Test Sites and information kiosks on the Fairfax, Arlington, and SciTech Campuses. Learn more about the use of N95 respirators here.

Students who test positive – Medical staff at Student Health Services provide care to residential students who are positive and symptomatic.  Mason continues to provide accommodations and/or support to residential students who remain on campus during their quarantine or isolation. Non-residential students who test positive should reach out to their primary care provider for medical care. Non-residential students who do not have a primary care provider can reach out to Student Health Services for medical care. Information regarding quarantine and isolation requirements is available here.

Employees who test positive – Employees who test positive or are unvaccinated and identified as a close contact must observe updated isolation and quarantine guidance.

Flexibility for students who miss classes due to Covid – Instructors are asked to exercise maximum flexibility for students who miss class due to Covid isolation or quarantine. Learn more at https://www.gmu.edu/faqs-faculty-and-staff.

Stay tuned – Conditions are fluid and can change rapidly, hopefully for the better. Mason will reach out to the community frequently as events warrant, so watch your email inbox for updates.

Patriots, we have forged ahead despite pandemic conditions in four prior semesters. Together, we will get through this one, as well. Welcome back!

Sincerely,

Gregory Washington
President