Note: This letter originally appeared as an e-mail sent to the Hopkins community on August 25, 2022.
Dear Johns Hopkins Community:
We are pleased to be kicking off the fall semester with academic operations that are as close to normal as they have been since the start of the COVID pandemic. Given what we and our peers have learned over the past two years, we are optimistic that the in-person activities that underpin our core academic mission will not be disrupted.
That said, we recognize that COVID is still with us, circulating in the community and continuing to evolve in ways that may challenge our protections. As with previous terms, we are prepared to monitor the situation on our campuses, consult our public health and infectious disease experts, remain in compliance with state and local regulations, and be responsive if the well-being of our community and our neighbors requires action.
We also recognize that even with our broad mandatory vaccination policy helping to sustain a safe environment, there are members of our community who have individual circumstances that may put them or their family members at higher risk. Since classrooms are among our densest spaces on campus and the use of high-quality masks remains an effective prevention strategy, faculty can request that students wear masks while in their classroom. We are confident that students will be respectful and responsive, and we will work to ensure masks are widely available in instructional spaces. Formal accommodations for instructors and students with documented disabilities will continue to be available through the Office of Institutional Equity or Student Disability Services, respectively.
We will also continue to offer high-quality masks across campus, voluntary PCR-based saliva testing and free rapid test kits to all affiliates at our testing sites, and support through the Johns Hopkins COVID-19 Call Center. It can be reached at 443-287-8500, seven days a week, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.
We hope you will join us and all the members of our Johns Hopkins University community in being aware if you have any symptoms, being careful to stay home if you don’t feel well, and isolating if you test positive. Our consideration for our fellow JHU affiliates goes a long way to making our fall plans possible.
Full details are updated regularly on our Coronavirus Information website.
School of Medicine faculty, staff, students, and postdoctoral fellows will continue to follow Johns Hopkins Medicine policies. The Applied Physics Laboratory has its own policies for individuals on its property, but for APL staff members who work, teach, or attend classes at other JHU or JHM campuses, the mandates for each campus apply and can supersede APL guidelines. Likewise, university affiliates must follow APL policies when on its campus.
We are looking forward to a great fall.
Sincerely,
Stephen Gange
Professor and Executive Vice Provost for Academic Affairs
Kevin Shollenberger
Vice Provost for Student Health & Well-Being
Jon Links
Professor, Vice Provost, and Chief Risk Officer