UK spring semester: Shorter isolation times, masking to continue on campus
The University of Kentucky has adopted new CDC-recommended quarantine times and has purchased two KN95 masks for students and employees, President Eli Capilouto said Monday.
The changes come as the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department reported the highest number of COVID cases in a single day: 550 new cases on Monday. UK plans to return with in-person classes during the spring semester, which begins on Jan. 10.
“Our challenge is to continue ensuring the health and safety of our community, as we have done so well for nearly two years, while also honoring our critical missions of education, research, service and care,” Capilouto said. “Our return to campus — with students living in residence halls and most of our courses being offered in-person similar to our recent fall semester — remains a priority, even as we will vigilantly monitor the trajectory of the virus and do what needs to be done to protect our community.”
UK will shorten its isolation protocols, per the latest CDC recommendations. People who test positive for COVID-19 will isolate for five days. After that time period, if they are asymptomatic or have lessening symptoms, the person should continue wearing a mask around others for five days but can leave isolation.
Like last semester, people who are not vaccinated will be required to get tested for COVID-19 each week, Capilouto said.
UK will provide two KN95 face masks for students and employees who come to campus. More details will be provided later this week about how the masks will be distributed, Capilouto said.
UK will also continue its focus on vaccinations and boosters, with a booster shot incentive campaign. Last semester, people who reported their vaccination documentation to the university were eligible for prizes like scholarships, tickets to football and basketball games, and for employees, extra paid time off.
“This virus is here to stay, at least for the foreseeable future. The goal now is to continue its transition to being a virus that we manage as opposed to one that dominates so much of life,” Capilouto said. “We will do that through vaccines.”
At the end of the fall semester, 90.2% of the UK community was fully or partially vaccinated, according to the UK COVID dashboard. When broken down:
- 87.4% of students were vaccinated
- 97.1% of faculty were vaccinated
- 93.2% of staff were vaccinated
- 93.2% of UK HealthCare employees were vaccinated.