TAMPA, Fla. — “There will still be protocols in place,” said Stephanie Russell Krebs, Vice President for Student Affairs at the University of Tampa.
Leaders have been working on plans to keep students and staff safe for the 2022 spring semester at the University of Tampa.
UT is prepared for thousands of students to return to campus and ways to limit spread.
As of right now, face masks are required for everyone when indoors on campus, regardless of vaccination status. Physical distancing has been lifted, daily COVID-19 health self-assessments are encouraged, and quarantining will continue as per the CDC’s recommendations.
“We would be encouraging our students to get vaccines and get boosters if they haven’t been able to do that yet and are able to do that,” said Russell Krebs.
School officials said cleaning and sanitization will continue across campus and UT is still partnering with a local independent contact tracing team to control transmission.
Leaders are asking students to take precautions seriously.
“We would encourage students to know their body and if they’re not feeling well stay home and stay away from people and really just make good choices about their personal safety,” said Russell Krebs.
COVID-19 cases in students have been declining at UT since the start of the pandemic and leaders hope this downward trend continues. They’ll still be watching new numbers closely.
“We have a small group that meets weekly with our leadership team along with our partners at Tampa General Hospital who run our health center,” said Russell Krebs.
Due to the omicron surge, school officials are monitoring patterns and in the event of an outbreak will reconsider practices and apply new restrictions if needed.
“We’re constantly reviewing information that’s coming in,” said Russell Krebs.
The spring semester at UT begins on January 18.
