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The big news yesterday was that the Fairbanks North Star Borough’s 14-day average exceeded 10 cases per 100,000, nudging us into the “high” category from the “intermediate” category in the state’s risk metric. This has implications for the school district and for UAF. For the school district it means that they will continue to offer only online courses, and high school athletes cannot compete.
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For UAF, things are somewhat different. UAF’s athletics season has not started, and most sports are already postponed into the new year. And while not all UAF courses are entirely online, we currently have 76% of our credit hours completely online and more courses that are mostly online.
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As I walk around campus I see nearly every student, staff and faculty member following UAF’s COVID-19 face coverings policy. In the rare cases where I see noncompliance I say something, and I would encourage you to do the same. This can be as simple as saying, “Are you aware of the face covering policy?” or “Do you know where to get a face covering?” Like most things, it’s on all of us to get through this together. Thank you to everyone who is following the policy and making Nanook Nation a safer place. For those students who are not comfortable wearing masks, there are other options, such as taking courses online.
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If you wear glasses as I do, it may be hard to use a mask without fogging up. I encourage everyone to explore the multitude of masks available and find what’s right for you. I have heard some reports of individuals wearing masks below their nose. Maybe this is due to the same “fogging up” issue that I have. To be effective, though, the mask must cover your nose and mouth, so please continue to try different masks until you find the one that fits you best.
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UA has a new COVID-19 training course. It's available to all students, staff and faculty. Although the training is not required, I highly encourage you to take it as it contains many helpful tips and was developed specifically for the University of Alaska campuses.
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One question that keeps coming up is about COVID-19 status reporting. Students are required to fill out the UAF Student COVID Illness Reporting Form. (Employees have a separate form.) You must fill out the form each time your health changes, including if you:
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- show COVID-19 symptoms
- are under investigation (per State of Alaska)
- have been in close contact with a COVID-19-positive individual, or
- have received a COVID-19-positive test.
If you test COVID-19-positive, a contact tracer from UAF or from the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services will contact you. Please do everything you can to help the contact tracer do their job. If you live on campus, be sure to check with Res Life to make sure you are fulfilling all UAF requirements as well.
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If you are a close contact of a confirmed COVID-19-positive person, you must be quarantined for 14 days from the date of contact. Showing a negative test result doesn’t change that timeline. The incubation period for the virus is 2-14 days, so you could develop symptoms as late as the 14th day but have a number of negative test results leading up to that point. If you are COVID-19-positive, DHSS will notify you when you no longer need to self-isolate, typically 10 days after your positive test date. You must get clearance from DHSS before returning to work or class. If you are a residential student, please notify Res Life.
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Please continue to review the UAF COVID-19 website to stay up to date and ensure you are following all UAF guidance before you go to campus. UAF’s COVID-19 dashboard is updated daily. It shows how many positive cases have been reported since mid-March and the percentage of isolation space currently being used. We will be adding new information as the situation develops.
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Thank you for supporting a healthy and safe Nanook Nation.
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