Northern Arizona University is closely monitoring the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The university is working with Coconino County Health and Human Services (CCHHS), as well as other community partners, to ensure our campus community is informed with the latestCenters for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) best practices for staying healthy. The university has a comprehensive plan to manage COVID-19 cases that includes aggressive testing, education, monitoring, isolation, and quarantine. The health of the Lumberjack community is NAU’s top priority.
This webpage provides updates relevant to the NAU community, along with links to various resources. This page is updated as new information is available.
Do your part to support a healthy campus and help NAU track cases in our community.
On Jan. 6, NAU reopened its testing facility at the Fieldhouse. We have tested approximately 3,300 people. This semester, we will continue our strategic mitigation testing efforts, testing 13-14 percent of our Flagstaff Mountain Campus students, faculty and staff each week. In addition to offering testing to anyone who wants to take advantage of it, this enhanced testing strategy, when followed by isolation and quarantine efforts initiated by NAU, is important to reducing the spread of the virus by asymptomatic individuals. NAU is reinforcing that we are in this together and that students, faculty, and staff must wear masks, physically distance, use good hygiene, and avoid large gatherings.
Weekly results of NAU mitigation as of Jan. 15
Fall 2020 weekly results of NAU mitigation testing
From Sept. 2 through Nov. 24, in partnership with Coconino County and the State of Arizona, NAU administered over 34,000 COVID-19 tests, with an overall positivity rate of 4.5 percent.
As a testament to our mitigation efforts, NAU’s positivity rate remained below 4 percent since the week of October 12, and under 3 percent in the final 3 weeks of the semester, while testing approximately 2,800 faculty, staff, students, and members of the community per week.
NAU resumed mitigation testing on Jan. 11, 2021.
Coconino County
Weekly testing remains at a consistently high level. COVID-19 numbers to date in Coconino County, including in the NAU campus zip code (86011), are reported on the Coconino County Dashboard.
To help reduce the spread of COVID-19, NAU is encouraging all students, faculty, and staff to download the Covid Watch Arizona app, an anonymous exposure app that will use location information to notify people who may have been exposed to COVID-19. More information can be found on the Covid Watch Arizona page.
Mitigation testing is being conducted throughout the semester. More information can be found on the Testing and Contact Tracing page.
The saliva-based COVID-19 testing also is available and free for the Flagstaff community. Registration is required. View the COVID-19 saliva-based testing guide for what to know.
For more information about the CARES Act funding from the Department of Education, please review NAU’s CARES Act website.
A list a questions, including what COVID-19 is, how it spreads and what you can do to protect yourself and others, can be found on NAU’s Coronavirus Information Q & A.
What is the risk to the NAU community?
The virus continues to spread and the risk may change. It’s important for all of us to take proactive steps to protect ourselves and others from exposure to COVID-19. There is confirmed community spread in Coconino County. For updated numbers, visit Coconino County’s website. More information on NAU’s ZIP code data can be found online.
What is expected of our community to support a healthy campus?
Using guidance from the CDC and best practices from local and state health officials, NAU has implemented a number of measures to help keep each other safe.
Students, faculty and staff on campus are expected to:
1. Physically distance (remain at least 6 feet apart from others).
2. Wear a face mask in buildings and when physical distancing is difficult to maintain.
What is NAU doing with the money from the federal stimulus package?
Northern Arizona University is distributing the majority of the federal funding received through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act directly to eligible students.
Under the terms of the CARES act, more than $11.7 million in grants is designated to helping students defray costs incurred while pursuing their education during the COVID-19 pandemic. This funding is being disbursed in two waves: direct payments were given to eligible students through July 6, and there will be a separate application process in the fall to access the remaining funds. For more information visit NAU’s CARES Act page.
What are NAU’s cleaning protocols?
NAU Facility Services is working to provide a safe and clean environment in support of the university’s mission of providing a high quality education to our students, and have implemented new cleaning standards for public spaces, residence halls and dining areas. Detailed information can be found on the Cleaning Protocols.
Following CDC guidelines and using national best practices, campus dining has removed a significant amount of tables and chairs in all of the eateries on campus to allow students to eat while practicing appropriate social distancing. Tables also are cleaned in between diners, and dining areas are closed for a full cleaning at least three times daily. Several on-campus dining options also offer take-out and food delivery via Starship robots. More information can be found on the Campus Dining website.
More information about promoting a safe campus can be found on the Jacks are Back website.
What monetary credit was available when the spring semester went online after spring break?
The campus remained open and most of our services were fully operational for the majority of the semester. Because many students opted to study from home, NAU offered a credit that represented 25 percent of the spring semester’s housing and dining charges to students who chose to move out of university housing by April 16. That credit was applied to outstanding balances on the student’s account for those items. If students had a credit balance after these were applied to spring housing or dining charges, that credit was applied to any Fall 2020 semester charges. Dining Dollars and block meal plan balances left at semester end rolled over to the next academic year. Please review the Housing and Dining Credit FAQs for more information. Other refund policies have not changed.
The credit applied to housing and meal plans only. CARES Act funding also was available to many of our students to help offset some of the financial difficulty caused by the pandemic.
How can I take care of myself during this time?
Coronavirus is affecting all of us in many ways. We all react differently to stressful situations, and it’s important that we don’t neglect our mental health during this uncertain time.
Travel restrictions are in place to further reduce the potential for the virus to spread due to Lumberjacks coming in and out of Flagstaff. Non-essential business domestic and international travel has been suspended indefinitely for all NAU students, faculty, and staff. Any travel that is deemed essential will continue to be reviewed and approved in writing at the Vice President/Provost level.
I’ve been getting a lot of COVID-19 emails for a variety of sources. How do I know which ones to trust?
In light of COVID-19, universities are experiencing increased phishing attacks. Please be diligent about protecting your NAU user credentials and personal information. Below are some ways to make sure your information stays safe.
Never give up your credentials or personal information over phone or email
Be skeptical of requests from health organizations asking for personal information
Do not fall for scams that may include purchasing gift cards for students who are ill
Remember NAU will not ask for your credentials over email or over the phone
