Coronavirus

[downer]

https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/race-for-a-vaccine/stanford-will-require-weekly-covid-19-testing-regardless-of-vaccination-status/2629826/

This has me wondering whether my schools will do the same, and if so, if I report a positive test, what documentation would I need to supply?

[Cheerful]

UT-San Antonio announces first three weeks of most courses will be online.

Mandatory testing for students, faculty, staff.

https://www.utsa.edu/today/2021/08/story/modified-fall-semester-operations.html

[pgher]

Our campus has a mask mandate. Well, sort of. I was in two meetings yesterday where I was masked, and in the minority. Both times, I was most definitely not in charge of the meeting. What's the protocol? If the senior professor isn't wearing one, how can I ask students to wear one? I hate this.

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

We still have nothing... only 'suggestions' and 'encouragement' for faculty, staff and students to mask up and get vaccinated.

[the_geneticist]

I got an email this week that someone in my building tested positive.  It's supposed to be anonymous, but when they tell you the room number it's pretty darn easy to narrow down the list of possibles.  Also, given the shared information, the person was going to campus WHILE having symptoms & waiting for their test results. 
It's going to be a sh!tshow when the students return.  And there is no plan for when or who can decide it's not safe to be in person.  Can I decide that my lab classes will be online?  Can my chair?  What about the graduate TAs who are actually in the lab classrooms?

[Morden]

Most of us must teach face to face in fall: no mask mandate, no vaccine mandate, no windows that open, and no space for social distancing in classrooms. I expect that we will spend most of the term dealing with outbreaks, and so have reworked the course to get rid of all in-class assessments. I know it will hurt attendance and increase the possibility of cheating, but don't know what else I can do given the circumstances. I don't want anyone dragging themselves in when they (or their kids, spouse, siblings, or parents) feel sick.

[Cheerful]

Also, given the shared information, the person was going to campus WHILE having symptoms & waiting for their test results. 

Sad.  Talk about being dumb and selfish.

[spork]

This is bleeding into the topic of another thread, but I think anyone who is vaccinated, lacks significant co-morbidities, and doesn't have family members at high risk should look at the upcoming semester as an opportunity to work from home for a week or two, maybe longer. Either large numbers of students will be in quarantine (assuming one works at a university that is testing students for SARS-CoV-2), or you'll get sick/test positive and will be the one who needs to quarantine.

[lightning]

I got an email this week that someone in my building tested positive.  It's supposed to be anonymous, but when they tell you the room number it's pretty darn easy to narrow down the list of possibles.  Also, given the shared information, the person was going to campus WHILE having symptoms & waiting for their test results. 
It's going to be a sh!tshow when the students return.  And there is no plan for when or who can decide it's not safe to be in person.  Can I decide that my lab classes will be online?  Can my chair?  What about the graduate TAs who are actually in the lab classrooms?

They give the room number? That's awful.

The biggest problem at my place is that everyone was preparing for a back-to-normal fall semester, and nobody is prepared for another COVID-19 semester. Administrators are like deer in headlights right now. They are not making decisions about anything. The only decision they have made is that it's not faculty's decision on how to proceed nor is it the faculty's decision on how to pivot their courses regarding delivery formats. I've learned in the past 16 months that our COVID-19 health security officers are overpaid and useless. I'm no longer playing nice with them.

At least our health security officers do not violate privacy.

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

Most of us must teach face to face in fall: no mask mandate, no vaccine mandate, no windows that open, and no space for social distancing in classrooms. I expect that we will spend most of the term dealing with outbreaks, and so have reworked the course to get rid of all in-class assessments. I know it will hurt attendance and increase the possibility of cheating, but don't know what else I can do given the circumstances. I don't want anyone dragging themselves in when they (or their kids, spouse, siblings, or parents) feel sick.

I was discouraged from having online assessments.

[clean]

I just saw the associate dean. she noted that ALL of the stuff that WAS in the rooms for social distancing (the shields) are now gone. 
I wonder if they stored them.... just in case???

My own Fall is normal, but normal for me is 2 online classes and one face to face.  My spring is looking to be a similar timing schedule (though different courses as my college is attempting to capture the community college people from across the state to increase enrollment!).
So I will not have too much of a chance, compared to others to catch Covid.  Still, compared to others, I have more health risks!

I was interested to see that Univ, TX San Antonio is delaying the face to face start for 3 weeks (going online).  With the TX gov. on the news as an extreme case, I am surprised that they had the guts to make that decision (but I may be confusing the FL wingnut and the TX wingnut).

[Vkw10]

Living in Texas is getting interesting, but not in a good way.

Local governments are defying the governor's order prohibiting mask requirements. https://www.texastribune.org/2021/08/11/texas-mask-mandates-covid-19/

The state has started issuing warnings to restaurants about revoking licenses if they continue requiring customers to prevent proof of vaccination. https://www.texastribune.org/2021/08/12/texas-restaurants-vaccination-proof/

Beginning to wonder if I can tolerate this state until I'm eligible to retire in 4 years and 8 months.

[Caracal]

I just saw the associate dean. she noted that ALL of the stuff that WAS in the rooms for social distancing (the shields) are now gone. 
I wonder if they stored them.... just in case???

By all accounts the shields are totally ineffective and might actually make things worse by trapping air. Hepa filters would be a much better idea. It would be fine if we ditched the things that weren't effective (enhanced cleaning is another example) but what you would want is a switch to things that both work and are useful in the long run.

[Ruralguy]

Unfortunately my school read "don't obsessively clean" as  "don't clean."   Surfaces and such still need to be regularly (daily) cleaned.

[Langue_doc]

The CDC and states that in the past took preventive measures against the virus now seem to have left it up to the individuals to take the necessary precautions. NYC
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/interactive/2021/vaccinated-counties-delta-hotspots/?itid=hp_pandemic

NYC has yet to address the rising number of cases despite all the noises coming out of City Hall on totally unrelated matters.
https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/coronavirus/nyc-transmission-rates-skyrocket-as-delta-hits-90-of-covid-cases/3219682/