President Andrew Hsu provided the following update on the College’s COVID-19 protocols to the campus community on May 10, 2021:
Dear Campus Community,
With our spring commencement now complete, I’m writing to provide an update on our COVID-19 requirements and protocols for this summer.
These updates are effective today, May 10, and will remain in place until the College of Charleston issues any new and/or revised guidelines later this summer. In the meantime, our COVID-19 Leadership Team continues to plan for the fall semester, and we will announce those details as soon as possible.
As for now, the biggest change to our campus protocols is that the College will no longer require face masks to be worn outdoors when individuals are walking or moving around campus alone. Masks should still be readily available and worn for any interactions between two or more people.
Below is a summary of the updates, which are also reflected on the Back on the Bricks website.
Sincerely,
Andrew
Andrew T. Hsu, Ph.D.
President
College of Charleston
Updates to the COVID-19 Campus Protocols
Face Coverings
Outdoors
- Face coverings and social distancing will continue to be required for College-sponsored events or activities, including, but not limited to, admissions tours, new student orientation, group gatherings (students with staff/faculty advisor present) and performances.
- Personal use of face coverings outside is encouraged but not required when moving around campus as an individual. Please have a mask available if needed for impromptu meetings with others. If you are not wearing a mask, please don a mask when encountering other people and/or if you begin speaking with others.
Indoors
- Face coverings are still required in all public-facing offices and facilities, open office spaces, classrooms, public study spaces, dining areas, etc.
- Face coverings are not required when working alone in an enclosed office.
- All meetings should continue to take place over video conferencing or telephone to the maximum extent possible to promote social distancing. In-person meetings are permitted when social distancing is possible and face coverings are worn.
- Directional signage, traffic flow markers and ingress/egress controls will no longer be enforced, and signage will be removed over the summer.
- Building traffic flows will continue to be monitored for any necessary adjustments.
Physical Distancing
- Physical distancing of at least 6 feet is still required on campus.
- Signage about social distancing will remain.
- Classroom distancing will remain at 6 feet, with current COVID capacities unchanged.
Gathering Requirements
- Indoor gatherings will continue to be limited to the COVID capacity of each space, with requirements for face coverings and social distancing.
- For non-academic student meetings and events, a faculty or staff advisor must be present.
- Outside gatherings with up to 50 people wearing face coverings and maintaining social distance are permitted.
Cleaning Protocols
- Current cleaning protocols will remain in place and will be reevaluated for fall 2021.
COVID-19 Testing and Vaccination
- There will not be mandatory surveillance testing for the general student body during summer 2021. Specific student groups may be required to test, and details will be communicated to those groups.
- The College will offer bi-weekly COVID-19 testing for anyone in the campus community who would like to be tested. One test per month will be offered by the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, and one test per month will be offered by the University of South Carolina. The UofSC testing will be a saliva-based test. All testing dates will be announced to campus soon.
- The College of Charleston is strongly encouraging all members of the campus community to get vaccinated, but is not requiring vaccinations for students or employees at this time.