Quarantining before arrival
We are strongly recommending that you (all students) “soft” quarantine at home for 10 days prior to arriving on campus. Please limit your contacts. Do not visit bars or restaurants and do not attend any social gatherings with more than two families or 10 people in the 10 days prior to moving back to campus.
Classes
The university will re-open with classes on-ground and in-person on Monday, Jan. 25.
Quarantining after arriving
From the time you arrive on campus through Wednesday, Feb. 3, you (our Winona Campus students) will be asked to continue “soft” quarantining. This means you may leave your residence halls to attend classes and Mass, study in the library or other designated spaces, eat in the dining hall, and work out. Otherwise, you should remain in your residence halls. Student-athletes may participate in practices and strength and conditioning activities as scheduled by their coaches. Students are not permitted to visit other residence halls, and commuter students and outside guests are not permitted in the residence halls at any time.
Clubs and organizations may meet, but virtual meetings are encouraged. Activities and events with small numbers of participants may occur, but the COVID-19 approval form must be completed and approved for any such activities.
These steps will help us keep transmissions low at the start of the semester and keep our learning in person. We appreciate your help in keeping our campus and the wider community safe during this critical period.
Open facilities
- Lounges will be open in the residence halls.
- Workout spaces in the residence halls will be open.
- The gym and the library will be open, but masks will be required in both facilities.
Curfew
The university will set a campus curfew from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. Students must be in their residence halls during those hours.
COVID-19 testing
A mandatory COVID-19 testing event will be scheduled five to seven days after students arrive on campus. All students, with the exception of student-athletes who are being tested regularly as a result of practices or competitions and those who can prove they have tested positive within the last 90 days, must be tested at this event. More information will be forthcoming. Moving forward, the university will undertake a weekly surveillance testing of 10% of the student body each week through February 2021. This testing is possible as a result of the university’s new partnership with Hy-Vee, which is generously providing this testing at no cost to the university nor its students.
COVIDaware MN app
All students are strongly encouraged to download and activate COVIDaware MN. COVIDaware MN uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology to notify you if you have been exposed to COVID-19, so you can reduce the risk of infection for your friends, family, and neighbors, and help Minnesota and the university slow the spread. This tool will be a significant resource for the university to quickly identify close contacts of students who test positive for COVID-19 and get those close contacts into quarantine more quickly, thereby helping to slow the spread of COVID-19 on campus.
Reminder to wash hands, wear masks, and social distance
Handwashing, mask wearing, and social distancing remain vital tools to help mitigate against the spread of COVID-19. We especially want to remind you to stay 6 feet away from one another and to keep your “pods” or “families” small.
10-day check in
We will evaluate and assess our COVID-19 status after the first 10 days of classes and communicate additional information thereafter.