On March 16, 2020, all St. Thomas classes moved online for the remainder of the spring semester due to the emerging COVID-19 pandemic. Two years later, St. Thomas’ University Action and Response Team is still navigating a pandemic that emptied campus, introduced mask mandates and created a shift toward online learning.
St. Thomas’ University Action and Response Team announced via email that it will be lifting its face covering requirement in many indoor spaces on Saturday, Feb. 26. Masks will still be required inside classrooms, labs, St. Thomas’ shuttle and the Center for Well-Being.
Twenty-nine positive COVID-19 cases were reported to the Center for Well-Being during the week of October 15, which is the highest number of positive cases so far this semester.
Nineteen positive COVID-19 cases were reported to the Center for Well-Being during the fifth week of classes.
Though St. Thomas requires that all community members get the COVID-19 vaccine, some have opted out of the mandate for medical, religious or conscientious reasons. Even with a 88% vaccination rate as of September 29, the University Action and Response team, a group of community leaders advising St. Thomas officials on pandemic prevention protocol, is monitoring COVID-19 infections and is prepared to tighten on-campus restrictions if needed.
St. Thomas will once again require face coverings indoors in public spaces on campus beginning Monday, regardless of vaccination status, a University Action and Response Team email said Thursday.
The University of St. Thomas is requiring all students and employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before returning for the fall semester, a Monday email from the University Action and Response Team said, with some exemptions.
The University of St. Thomas will require those participating in university-sponsored travel to be vaccinated against COVID-19 beginning Monday, Aug. 2, a University Action and Response Team email said Tuesday.
St. Thomas’ University Action and Response Team followed up to its June 16 announcement Wednesday with details on the university’s COVID-19 vaccine incentive program.
St. Thomas will not require community members working or learning on campus to get the COVID-19 vaccine “at this time,” a Wednesday email from the University Action and Response Team to St. Thomas community members said. However, all students and employees will be required to report their vaccination status to St. Thomas before the fall semester.
St. Thomas will continue to require face coverings and social distancing protocols despite the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s updated guidance and Gov. Tim Walz lifting Minnesota’s statewide mask mandate, according to an email from the University Action and Response Team Friday morning.
St. Thomas’ University Action and Response Team announced in an email to students, faculty and staff Wednesday that the university will host a COVID-19 vaccination event for the aforementioned members of the community. Cam Kauffman and Justin Amaker have the story.
All classes and events on-campus starting after 5 p.m. are canceled, an alert from St. Thomas Public Safety to the campus community said following Gov. Tim Walz’s announcement of a 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew Monday night for three counties that include Brooklyn Center, Minneapolis and St. Paul.
St. Thomas has reported 231 total positive cases through Oct. 9, but the numbers don’t tell the whole story. St. Thomas contact tracers urge students to report test results with the intention of stopping the spread, not punishing students. Chief Story Editor and Social Media Manager Mia Laube has the story.
St. Thomas continues to plan to welcome students back to campus this fall, but is “ready to pivot if necessary,” President Julie Sullivan assured in an email addressed to students, faculty and staff Friday. Justin Amaker has the story.
