UW Transitions Over Summer to Fall Return Plan

With the University of Wyoming Board of Trustees’ adoption of a campus return plan for the fall semester, UW employees and students on campus this summer are asked to follow parts of the plan immediately.

That includes a requirement to wear face coverings and comply with social distancing guidelines while on campus in communal spaces where other people are present. In addition, if you develop symptoms that might indicate coronavirus infection, you should stay away from campus, report to health care providers, self-quarantine and submit to a COVID-19 test.

“While the number of people working on and visiting campus is still relatively low, those numbers are likely to increase through the rest of the summer,” Acting President Neil Theobald says. “It makes sense for those of us using campus facilities now to follow as many of the requirements that will be in place this fall as possible.”

The university will require and provide face coverings for all employees and students this fall -- those coverings have been ordered, and some units already have secured masks and other types of protection for their employees -- but not all units are able to provide them at this point. So, employees and students on campus this summer may need to wear their own personal face protection.

Testing

Coronavirus testing is another part of the fall return plan. Students and employees are required to be tested for COVID-19 shortly before the start of the semester. The university is arranging for a process in which saliva tests can be requested to be mailed individually to students and employees. More details will be provided in coming weeks, including the specific time frame for completing the test and receiving results.

In the meantime, the university is requiring public-facing units reopening this summer -- including the Early Care and Education Center, Catering and Events, the Harry C. Vaughan Planetarium and the Audiology Clinic -- to have their employees receive COVID-19 tests from local health care providers. That’s in line with the Department of Athletics, which this summer is testing all of its returning student-athletes and the employees who interact with them, among other COVID-19 prevention measures.

UW employees who are not part of public-facing units, but who are working on campus this summer, are not required to be tested until the baseline testing is done in August. However, those on campus this summer should follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance on testing as well as hand washing, social distancing, wearing of masks and avoiding large groups.

Return to the Workplace

As part of the campus return plan, all vice presidents and deans, in consultation with Human Resources, will create adaptable staffing plans -- remote work and flexible work schedules -- for the fall semester. They’re due to Human Resources by July 15 and are driven by a desire to reduce density in the workplace; minimize exposure; and meet the needs of employees who are in high-risk categories or who live with people in those categories.

Until those plans are approved and implemented -- expected to be in early August -- employees who are able to effectively work remotely are encouraged to continue doing so, although there is no prohibition on returning to the regular workplace this summer. However, those on campus should follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance on hand washing, social distancing, wearing of masks and avoiding large groups.

Campus Events

As noted in an earlier communication, the university is allowing outdoor gatherings of up to 250 people on the Laramie campus, with social distancing and face protection in place. Indoor gatherings of up to 25 people are allowed, also with those provisions.

As Gov. Mark Gordon makes further changes to his orders regarding public gatherings, UW also may adjust UW’s restrictions this summer.

For more information on UW’s fall return plan and other updates, go to www.uwyo.edu/campus-return.