COVID-19 Update: Super Bowl Sunday & Other Reminders
Feb. 5, 2021
Dear SLU students,
As we round out our first full week of classes this semester, I write to offer a few reminders for this upcoming, atypical Super Bowl weekend. Again, I have included our faculty, staff and parent partners so they are aware.
Many of us enjoy laughing over commercials, celebrating touchdowns and swapping appetizers on Super Bowl Sunday. Despite Missouri’s team having a run for the second year in a row, we cannot let our enthusiasm deter us from doing the right thing.
We are still living in an active, deadly pandemic.
Super Bowl
If you choose to watch the game with a small group of your friends, please do so safely. Wear your mask. Spread out and keep 6 feet of social distance between you and others. Wash or sanitize your hands frequently.
Please do your part to prevent COVID-19 transmission on our campus and in our city. It’s what Patrick Mahomes would do.
Check out these opportunities and ideas from the Student Involvement Center on how to safely enjoy the big game.
Please be vigilant in practicing our public health safeguards as we approach Mardi Gras, St. Patrick’s Day and other holidays that are typically fun and social. Remember the Campus Commitment you signed, agreeing to act with the health of our campus and greater St. Louis communities front and center. Being people who are for and with others during a pandemic comes with a lot of responsibility.
“Self-quarantine” and “self-isolation”
We have already received a few reports of students who have mistakenly chosen to “self-quarantine” due to known exposure to someone with COVID-19, or “self-isolate” because they are experiencing symptoms.
Let me be clear: “Self-quarantine” and “self-isolation” are not part of our protocol at SLU. They are, in fact, a direct violation of our Campus Commitment. And they put our campus at risk.
We have heard from students who thought their symptoms were “just allergies,” “just the winter sniffles,” or “just another migraine,” who ultimately tested positive for COVID-19. Please, you must report those symptoms and any possible exposure to someone with COVID-19 immediately, whether it’s to Student Health or Employee Health (for clinical students).
“Double masking”
I have received several questions lately about the idea of “double masking,” or wearing more than one face mask at a time. This is not a requirement at SLU nor is it a recommendation from the St. Louis Health Department or the CDC. If you choose to wear more than one mask at a time, that is a personal choice.
Again, thank you for continuing to follow SLU’s public health guidance. However tiresome, this important work ensures we can continue to stay in community with each other this spring.
Stay safe and be well.
Terri Rebmann, Ph.D., RN, CIC, FAPIC
Special Assistant to the President
Director, Institute for Biosecurity
Professor, Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics
College for Public Health & Social Justice