Key Updates:
- Ithaca College will be suspending distribution and use of the Daily Health Screening. Students, faculty and staff accessing campus will no longer be required to complete this e-form.
- Ithaca College will be suspending use of the IC Health Badge system. Students will no longer be required to display their health badge to access areas across campus.
- These two critical components of Ithaca College’s COVID-19 infrastructure will remain intact and will be on standby. These systems can be reactivated if future conditions dictate.
- IC community is strongly encouraged to remain vigilant and continue diligent use of good public health practices including: proper use of tightly fitted face coverings where required, good hand hygiene, limiting exposure to large unstructured gatherings where adequate physical distancing cannot be maintained, and monitor your personal health for symptoms of illness.
Dear Ithaca College Community,
I would like to begin this message by extending my sincere appreciation for your commitment to maintaining a healthy and vibrant campus community, especially in the wake of our Spring Break in March. Your dedication to responsible actions, diligent use of testing, and making good public health practices a priority has played a huge part in helping us maintain low incidence of COVID-19 within our IC community.
As we turn our attention to the final weeks of the Spring 2022 semester, I share this message with you to alert our campus community to some additional modifications to Ithaca College’s COVID-19-related protocols. Please note that the following changes will go into effect on Monday, April 11.
Suspension of Daily Health Screening System
Effective Monday, April 11, Ithaca College will be suspending distribution and use of the Daily Health Screening. Ithaca College employees and students accessing campus will no longer receive the Daily Health Screening in their IC email and will not be required to complete submission of this screening form.
Suspension of the IC Health Badge System
Effective Monday, April 11, in concurrence with the suspension of the Daily Health Screening, Ithaca College will also be suspending the IC Health Badge system for students. Students will no longer be required to display a “Green” health badge in order to access various on-campus spaces.
Please note that these two critical components of our COVID-19 monitoring infrastructure will remain on standby and these changes should not be viewed as a permanent dismantling of these systems. Both the Daily Health Screening and the IC Health Badge will remain intact and can be reactivated if conditions necessitate.
Please direct any questions you may have in regard to these modifications to caremanager@ithaca.edu.
Ithaca College will still operate tools to track incidence of COVID-19 within our IC community. Individuals will continue to be notified via IC email if they have been chosen for participation in optional randomized surveillance testing throughout the remainder of the semester. Ithaca College will also continue to operate and regularly update the COVID-19 Dashboard to share important information on the number of active cases within our IC community.
As a reminder, if you are experiencing symptoms of illness, it is highly important that you limit your exposure to others and seek out testing as soon as possible. Students should continue to utilize the Emerson Residence Hall testing site, which is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Employees should continue to seek out testing opportunities in the local community, including: licensed pharmacies, testing centers, and the Cayuga Health System testing site at The Shops at Ithaca Mall.
While this update is another encouraging step in our efforts to return our campus operations to pre-pandemic standards, I urge our campus community to continue committing to the good public health practices that we know work in limiting the impact of COVID-19. Please continue to make the following public health practices a priority as we look to conclude the Spring 2022 semester successfully:
- Continue to wear a tightly fitted face covering over both the nose and mouth in all areas and situations that still require their use. This also includes situations or settings where adequate physical distancing cannot be maintained. More information on Ithaca College's current policy regarding face coverings can be found in this announcement published on March 4.
- Limit your exposure to large unstructured gatherings.
- Sanitize hands frequently.
- Monitor your personal health for symptoms of illness. If you are feeling ill, limit your exposure to others until you can be tested and have received results.
Thank you for your continued efforts in prioritizing a healthy campus as we look to a strong finish to the 2021-22 academic year.
Sincerely,
Samm Swarts
Assistant Director, Emergency Preparedness and Response