Our highest priority is the health and safety of the NSU Community. The University’s senior leadership team and Emergency Operations Committee is continuing to monitor the local and regional impact of COVID-19, and is taking proactive actions to mitigate potential risks to our community. Please see the most recent updates for NSU Students and NSU Faculty and Staff below.
January 2023
01/13/23
COVID-19 Update: New Face Mask Guidelines
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact across the globe, in our communities, in our families, and on each of us as individuals. Norfolk State University worked hard as a collective to meet the aspirations that President Adams-Gaston set out for us as “the NSU Culture of Care” and as a community, we navigated through the challenges of the pandemic. While COVID-19 is still a threat, all of the mitigation efforts, including vaccinations, have moved us to a point where continued modifications to our campus mitigation efforts are warranted, specifically around masking.
In the beginning of the fall 2022 semester, we asked the community, in the spirit of our Culture of Care, to mask in classrooms and offices. Effective immediately, masking on campus is optional to include in classrooms and offices, at events, on public transportation, and in medical settings. This practice is consistent with guidance from the Center for Disease Control, the Virginia Department of Health, and state laws and regulations.
Despite this change, The NSU Culture of Care remains. We fully support individual choice to wear a mask in any setting on campus. Please respect those who are masking and may ask that you wear a mask when in their classroom or office so that they may fully protect themselves and/or their loved ones against the COVID-19 virus. In addition, we respect the individual choice of community members and visitors to our campus who choose not to wear a mask.
As a community, we will remain vigilant regarding COVID-19. We encourage all community members to get vaccinated against COVID-19 based on the recommendations from the CDC. If you are exposed to COVID-19 or have COVID-19, follow the most up-to-date recommendations from the CDC for masking, quarantine, and isolation. We will continue to monitor the global, national, and local conditions regarding COVID-19 and adjust our campus practices as needed.
I am humbled to be part of such a wonderful community and appreciate all we have done collectively to get NSU through the pandemic. Happy New Year and I look forward to a safe, prosperous, 2023.
Dr. Leonard Brown, COVID-19 Director, Vice President for Student Affairs
December 2022
12/20/22
COVID-19 Update
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact across the globe, in our communities, in our families, and on each of us as individuals. Norfolk State University worked hard as a collective to meet the aspirations that President Adams-Gaston set out for us as “the NSU Culture of Care” and as a community, we navigated through the challenges of the pandemic. While COVID-19 is still a threat, all of the mitigation efforts, including vaccinations, have moved us to a point where continued modifications to our campus mitigation efforts are warranted, specifically around masking.
In the beginning of the fall 2022 semester, we asked the community, in the spirit of our Culture of Care, to mask in classrooms and offices. Effective immediately, masking on campus is optional to include in classrooms and offices, at events, on public transportation, and in medical settings. This practice is consistent with guidance from the Center for Disease Control, the Virginia Department of Health, and state laws and regulations.
Despite this change, The NSU Culture of Care remains. We fully support individual choice to wear a mask in any setting on campus. Please respect those who are masking and may ask that you wear a mask when in their classroom or office so that they may fully protect themselves and/or their loved ones against the COVID-19 virus. In addition, we respect the individual choice of community members and visitors to our campus who choose not to wear a mask.
As a community, we will remain vigilant regarding COVID-19. We encourage all community members to get vaccinated against COVID-19 based on the recommendations from the CDC. If you are exposed to COVID-19 or have COVID-19, follow the most up-to-date recommendations from the CDC for masking, quarantine, and isolation. We will continue to monitor the global, national, and local conditions regarding COVID-19 and adjust our campus practices as needed.
I am humbled to be part of such a wonderful community and appreciate all we have done collectively to get NSU through the pandemic. Enjoy the winter break and I look forward to a safe, positive, and empowering 2023.Dr. Leonard Brown
COVID-19 Director, Vice President for Student Affairsester right now.
- On campus Isolation/Quarantine housing has few if any occupants and there are very low numbers of students in isolation/quarantine off campus.
- Local statistics are also on a steady decline since the beginning of the New Year with Norfolk City having a positivity rate of 10 percent, down from above 30. In addition hospitalizations have declined with local hospital bed capacity being moderate to high.
In response to these positive trending numbers, we have:
- Encouraged but not required sharing vaccination and booster information.
- Encouraged residential students regardless of vaccination status to participate in surveillance testing.
- No longer require vaccination card or negative test for most events on campus including Athletic events.
- Working with individual event planners to determine the best safety approach for in-person events.
Our commitment to our Culture of Care has positioned us well to make these changes thus far. It is also our commitment to our Culture of Care that calls us to stay with the indoor masking requirement for everyone regardless of vaccination status. Here are some important considerations:
- The regional numbers while improving are still high with a 10 percent positivity rate in Norfolk City and only 25 percent of the adult population with a vaccination and booster.
- We are aware of a number of community members who have responsibilities for vulnerable populations like young children who do not yet qualify for a vaccination, high risk family members at home, or elderly family members who they interact with on a regular basis.
- Outside of vaccinations, masking inside has been the most important mitigation practice for NSU.
- COVID-19 has impacted African Americans and other underrepresented communities disproportionately through the pandemic.
Given these considerations, masking indoors for everyone regardless of vaccination status will remain our policy at NSU. As community members travel for Spring Break and return to campus, we will continue to monitor and evaluate the situation and make adjustments that are safe accordingly.
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