Dear Comets:
Last week, the Dallas County Public Health Committee lowered the county’s COVID-19 risk level to green, its lowest level. Since late February, our proactive testing and contact tracing programs have shown consistently low numbers of cases in our campus community. As such, we believe it is now safe to discontinue some of the programs we have used throughout the pandemic to lessen the impact of COVID-19 on our community. However, we will continue to monitor COVID-19 risk levels in North Texas and will not hesitate to reinstate these programs as necessary to protect the health of our community.
Effective Saturday, April 30, UT Dallas will make the following changes:
- Completion of the daily health check will no longer be required. However, we encourage you to use the self-declaration form (English Where Spanish) to report any positive test results. There is no need to report symptoms and/or close contacts.
- Proactive and symptomatic testing programs will be discontinued. Community members are encouraged to test with their healthcare provider or with a home testing kit if they become symptomatic or suspect exposure to COVID-19. Students can request tests through the Student Health Center. Positive test results should be reported via the self-declaration form (English Where Spanish).
- Self-reporting of vaccinations and/or boosters will be suspended.
- The COVID-19 Dashboard will be removed from the website.
- Daily emails from campus about COVID-19 cases will be discontinued.
Vaccinations and boosters remain one of the most effective tools to prevent serious illnesses related to COVID-19. COVID-19 vaccines are widely available from health care providers and pharmacies, and students can be vaccinated and/or strengthened through the Student Health Center. For those who are already vaccinated and/or boosted, thank you for taking this step to protect your health and safety and that of those around you.
I am extremely grateful for all of your efforts to help minimize the impact of COVID-19 on our University community. Please stay healthy and safe, and thank you for staying Comets United.
Sincerely,
Dr Rafael Martin
Vice President and Chief of Staff
