Public Health Reminders for Upcoming Breaks

Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff,

Thanks to your attention and vigilance, we have had a fairly healthy fall on all three of our campuses. While we saw an uptick in COVID illnesses on the undergraduate campus earlier this semester, those cases have tapered off and now we are seeing the beginning signs of the usual respiratory illness season. We wanted to take the time to remind you of how to be prepared for all respiratory illnesses, especially with break-related travel on the horizon.

Many of you will be traveling over the Thanksgiving break, the winter break, or both. Whether or not you will be at home or on the road, we encourage you to continue to take the following precautions to protect yourself and others:

• Self-monitor for respiratory illness symptoms, including those specific to COVID-19, and seek evaluation or testing when appropriate.

• Be prepared in case you do fall ill during the break or next semester by ordering free COVID-19 tests from the government.

• Continue to practice strategies to reduce the spread of respiratory illnesses by using good hand hygiene, staying home when you are sick, and wearing a quality mask if you are ill and must enter public places. If you need a mask, you may pick one up for free at the Health Promotion and Wellness office (Fowler Center 110), Student Health Center (Fowler Center 160), and residence hall lobbies (Copeland main lobby, Platt main lobby, Tamarack lobby, and Akin lobby).

• Stay up to date on recommended vaccines, including the seasonal flu vaccine and updated COVID vaccine. Vaccinations remain the leading prevention strategy to protect individuals from severe flu or COVID-19 infections. Find a vaccination site near you.

Again, thank you for all of your ongoing efforts to protect yourselves and others from respiratory illnesses. We remain incredibly proud of how this community has come together over these past three and a half years. Working together, we will successfully navigate any new challenges that may arise in the upcoming semester. If you have any health questions or concerns, please contact health@lclark.edu.

Public Health and COVID Operations Team