Spring Opening COVID-19 Update

KEY POINTS

• Our early testing results show a promising trend.

• Thank you for complying with masking, testing, and other safety protocols.

• If you need help, please reach out.

Dear UMBC Community,

We are writing to express our appreciation of your efforts to comply with current campus health and safety protocols by getting a COVID-19 booster, physical distancing, completing an entry COVID test, and wearing high quality KN95 masks indoors. If you need any more information about any of these requirements please visit our COVID-19 website.

As a result of your commitment to the health and safety of our community, we are seeing promising trends both across the state and at UMBC. Early test results indicate that we are effectively minimizing transmission on campus, and our weekend testing positivity rate was below 1%. Please continue to stay home if you are sick, and if you test positive for COVID-19, review this guidance.

We strongly encourage you to get a booster shot as soon as you are eligible. Many community members took advantage of our on-campus vaccine clinics and we are planning on offering more clinics. We also encourage you to reach out to local pharmacies to schedule your booster shot. Our experts assure us that remaining up to date with your COVID-19 vaccination is the single most important step in preventing severe illness. 

Please know that while our current safety measures are essential we understand that they can be challenging for some. We do not anticipate they will last forever and our teams meet every week to evaluate the current situation and the necessary safety protocols. We hope that if we continue to observe low testing positivity rates on campus, it may be possible to release some of the current restrictions, especially in regards to masking protocols and closures in our campus residential communities. 

Finally, we know that the continued pandemic continues to be challenging, especially for our mental health. Please reach out if you need help. Undergraduate and Graduate students can connect with Retriever Integrated Health and the Academic Success Center for both personal and academic support. Faculty and staff can access our Employee Assistance Program. You can also email covid19@umbc.edu for more information. 

Provost Philip Rous

Vice President of Information Technology and CIO Jack Suess

COVID-19 Planning Coordinating Committee Co-Chairs