Concordia Returns to Green Policies

by Keaton Burgess

Students were able to return to classes Tuesday without masks after Concordia’s Critical Management Team on Monday ended the mask mandate and returned the campus to the Green protocol level.

President Bernard Bull said COVID-19 cases have declined to 11 positive cases on campus with 1.3% of the student population in quarantine. A spike of cases just two weeks earlier had forced nearly 5% of Concordia students into isolation or quarantine.

“This is the third straight semester that Concordia has conducted classes in-person during the pandemic, and we have seen cases spike at the beginning of each of them,” Bull said in an email to students. “However, by implementing protocols that helped to decrease the spread of the virus, the number of students who tested positive and/or were required to quarantine have plateaued.”

Face coverings will no longer be mandatory inside of buildings, but students should still follow all basic COVID-19 preventions.

“We still encourage you to continue to practice physical distancing, maintain good personal hygiene, and please, if you feel comfortable, continue wearing your face coverings in situations where distancing isn’t possible,” Bull said.

“While in the Green protocol level, face coverings may still be required for specific situations, including accommodations made based on classroom health requirements.”

Bull said the CIMT will continue to monitor the situation and review data weekly.

“We will continue to monitor the quarantine and isolations numbers on campus and will revisit the protocol levels each week, or sooner should the number of students in quarantine/isolation reach thresholds for specific protocols to be enacted,” Bull said.

The total number of cases during the 2021-22 academic year currently sits at 54. All four Concordia employees who were diagnosed with COVID-19 have all recovered.