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To: UAF employees and students
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From: Doug Schrage, UAF COVID-19 incident management team director
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Re: Transitioning to Phase B, planning for Phase C
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What the university is doing
Each unit or location throughout UAF is developing a plan to reduce the chances of COVID-19 spreading in their areas. Many are using a mitigation plan template to help guide that process and make sure nothing is missed. The plans will be reviewed and approved by vice chancellors.
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One thing to remember is that Phase B is fairly similar to Phase A. Most of us will continue to be working remotely, most buildings will remain closed and we still won’t be having events or other mass gatherings. You can check the UAF FAQs for more specific information about what’s open to the public and what’s not.
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Another thing to note is that developing solid mitigation plans for Phase B will pave the way for the transition to Phase C, when that time comes. Our goal is to spend the rest of the summer getting ready for what we hope will be more on-site operations in the fall, including a transition to Phase C and beyond, if conditions in our state and communities permit it.
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Those preparations take many forms.
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We are looking at all of our classrooms to determine how many people can safety occupy each of them. We are developing plans for our residence halls so that we can provide quarantine and isolation space for students who need it. We are piloting an emailed health self-check that you will see in your inboxes soon. We are designing signage, decals and other items to help reinforce safety practices. We are making improvements, such as the installation of plexiglass shields and hand sanitizer dispensers, to our buildings. We have a stock of items, such as masks, gloves, hand sanitizer and cleaning supplies, and will be ordering more. We will be developing a process, including an online form, for units to request supplies, signage and other materials and will share that with the university community soon.
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What you can do
While planning is important, keeping each other as safe as possible throughout this pandemic will also require every single employee and student to step up and take personal responsibility for controlling the spread of COVID-19 in our communities.
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A big part of that will be wearing face coverings any time, indoors or outdoors, including in vehicles, when you can’t stay six feet away from others. Any one of us could have COVID-19 without even knowing it. Cloth face coverings help reduce the chances that you or I will spread the virus.
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All employees and students will be expected to wear face coverings in most shared spaces on campus. Much like suits, shoes, lab coats or uniforms, cloth face coverings will be a part of our everyday attire at UAF. It’s recommended that everyone have at least two so that you can wash them daily.
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Whether your mask is homemade, from an online merchant or purchased from a local business, it’s important to wear it correctly: over both your nose and your mouth. And if you’re not sure whether you should wear a mask in a given situation, err on the side of wearing one. It will help keep your friends, colleagues and students safe.
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In addition, frequent hand washing, use of hand sanitizer, making sure you stay six feet away from others and staying home if you are even a little bit under the weather, will be important tools to help slow the spread of COVID-19 on our campuses.
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I know many people still have lots of questions about what’s next for UAF in the COVID-19 environment. And I recognize that things can change quickly. I would encourage you to visit the university’s COVID-19 website where you can find FAQs and relevant university policy guidance, as well as a form to suggest FAQs. In addition, watch Cornerstone for some live events where key members of the UAF incident management team will be available to answer questions. I hope you will join us there.
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Photos by UAF photographers unless otherwise noted.
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