As the end of the semester quickly approaches, the S&T COVID-19 Incident Command Team urges students, faculty and staff to stay vigilant and continue mitigation efforts against spreading the coronavirus in response to a recent surge in on-campus cases. More than 100 S&T community members are currently in quarantine, and there are 19 active cases of COVID-19 as of last Friday. These are the most cases on campus since December 2020.

The ICT urges all students, faculty and staff to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as possible. The vaccine is the most effective tool available to protect ourselves and others from the coronavirus. A vaccination clinic in the Havener Center is available to students, faculty and staff 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday, May 4. No advanced registration is required. Additional details are available here.

All members of the S&T community should continue to wear facial coverings, even if vaccinated, and continue to maintain social distancing, wash hands frequently and thoroughly, and limit in-person gatherings to as few people as possible. Following these safety measures beyond our campus in the Rolla community is also essential. It’s also vital that you stay home when you have any COVID-19 symptoms.

As we plan for the fall semester, many of the safety guidelines governing how we will interact in the classroom, laboratories, events, residence halls, offices and meeting rooms, and more will depend on how many of us are protected from the coronavirus. The more members of the S&T community are vaccinated, the greater the chance we will be able to relax some of our current COVID-19 precautions.

Thank you for doing everything you can to minimize the risk of coronavirus on our campus and among your fellow students, faculty and staff.