NAU COVID-19 Community Briefing

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Dear Lumberjacks,

I am pleased that this week’s COVID-19 Community Briefing reflects substantial positive change in the pandemic outlook at NAU. These improvements are the product of much hard work and allow us to move forward with planned steps to lift most restrictions on food at events, kick off intramural sports, and encourage our community to more fully re-engage in the rich life and opportunity that our great university offers, both in and out of the classroom.

I also want to share some other good news as we look to the week ahead. NAU will be providing free N95 respirator masks to employees and students at our physical locations throughout the state. Individuals interested in picking up one of these masks should refer to the section below on free N95 respirator masks.

I want to share my thanks with the Student Health Advocacy Committee (SHAC) for their work alongside Campus Health Services in advocating on behalf of students’ well-being and for their requests to make additional respirator masks available to our students. In addition, I want to thank our team at Campus Supply for their continued distribution of masks and their timely efforts to navigate supply chain challenges and secure this supply of N95s.

We are definitively on the right track moving forward. We will continue our vigilance but also look actively to a bright future ahead.

Summary of Public Health Advisory and AY21-22 Steering Committee recommendations

• NAU’s Public Health Advisory Committee met on Wednesday to review NAU’s latest COVID-19 data and operational updates; the represented groups also shared specialized information from their fields. Based on the information considered, the group supported the lifting of certain restrictions for the week ahead and looked forward optimistically to continued re-engagement and activity as case counts dipped to pre-Omicron levels.
• NAU’s AY21-22 Steering Committee met on Thursday to review the information from the Public Health Advisory Committee. Based on the information, the group supported the recommendations put forth and considered continued strategies for ramping back engagement and activity over the weeks ahead based on the current trajectory of the virus.
• After careful consideration of the recommendations of the Public Health Advisory and AY21-22 Steering Committees, as we ready for the week ahead, NAU will:
  • Continue to deliver instruction and support services in their originally designated modalities (in-person, hybrid, remote) to sustain student academic momentum.
  • Continue to provide accommodations for individuals who need to quarantine or isolate due to testing positive or being exposed to COVID-19 or experiencing other COVID-19-related circumstances.
  • Effective February 14, reduce restrictions on food at events, begin intramural sports, and encourage re-engagement for additional in-person events and activities.
  • Begin distribution of N95 respirator masks to employees and students at NAU’s Flagstaff and statewide locations.

The measures above will continue to be evaluated and updated weekly based on the latest information.

Operating status unchanged with no significant adjustments to operations

NAU’s operating status for the week of February 14 will remain unchanged—with primarily in-person instruction and support services on the Flagstaff Mountain Campus and at statewide sites with in-person modalities, and full residential capacity on the Flagstaff Mountain Campus.

Ongoing mitigation measures

• Important general guidance and new information:
  • Strongly consider getting vaccinated and/or boosted (see the Vaccination section below for more information).
• Free N95 Respirator Masks at NAU:
  • Employees: Masksare available to employees and departments on request through Campus Supply; contact 928-523-6414 or NAU-CampusSupply@nau.edu.
  • Statewide: Specific information on distribution of masks will be sent to statewide locations.  
  • Students: Masks are available to students at the University Union and DuBois Center info desks; in addition, the SHAC will distribute masks at the following times:
    • February 16 and 23: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the Union Pedway
    • February 17 and 24: 1-2 p.m. inside the Health and Learning Center
• Masks:
  • Masks are required on NAU campuses in all classrooms and academic buildings and other locations where physical distancing is not possible, and strongly encouraged for outdoor events and gatherings.
  • The CDC provides resources about types of masks and their benefits, as well as how to wear and care for your mask.
  • N95 masks from the federal government are being distributed in Coconino County. Please fill out the form on the North Country Healthcare website to request an N95 mask.
• Vaccination:
  • NAU strongly encourages all individuals in our community to get vaccinated and receive a booster shot if they are eligible. Vaccines are a proven and effective means of reducing the risk of infection and lowering the risk of adverse health effects. More information about vaccines and their benefits can be found on the CDC website. Visit the following links for information on where you can be vaccinated:
    • NAU Fieldhouse and Campus Health Services
    • Coconino County
    • Arizona Department of Health Services
• Testing:
  • NAU strongly encourages individuals randomly selected for mitigation testing or who have been exposed to COVID-19 to be tested at any of the sites identified through the following links:
    • NAU Fieldhouse and Campus Health Services
    • Coconino County
    • Arizona Department of Health Services
• As shared last week, the federal government is shipping free at-home COVID-19 tests. Visit COVIDTests.gov for more information and to order.
• Managing exposure:
  • The CDC recommends different routes to manage exposure depending on your vaccination status. We strongly encourage individuals to review the latest recommendations on what to do if you have been exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.

COVID-19 data

The following data informed the approach described above.

• COVID-19 cases: The number of Arizonans testing positive for COVID-19 has declined to pre-Omicron levels. Coconino County’s most recent weekly report  shows high transmission.
• Isolation and quarantine: As of today, NAU is managing 95 COVID-19 cases among students on- and off-campus on the Flagstaff Mountain Campus, representing .5% of the total Flagstaff Mountain Campus student enrollment. This number is down from last week.
• Testing results at the Flagstaff Mountain Campus: For the week ending February 5, testing at the Fieldhouse, Campus Health Services, and self-reported COVID positives yielded the following results:
  • 2,703 tests—down from the previous week’s total of 3,790
    • 1,775 tests by NAU students, faculty, and staff
    • 928 tests by non-NAU community members
  • 355 positives (13.1%)—down from the previous week’s total of 747
    • 208 positives (11.7%) among NAU students, faculty, and staff
    • 147 positives (15.8%) among non-NAU community members
• Ongoing mitigation testing: Today, 2,500 members of the NAU community were called for mitigation testing to be completed next week.

The week ahead

We plan to share a similar briefing next Friday, following the same process of review and advisement by our Public Health and AY21-22 Steering Committees. If emergent conditions require a more rapid update, we will notify our NAU community accordingly.

Sincerely,

José Luis Cruz Rivera
President

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