UW–Madison : Sept. 16 Employee Message: Updates On Close Contacts, Testing And More

Press release from the University of Wisconsin-Madison:

September 16, 2021

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Dear faculty and staff,

Thank you for all you’re doing to keep our campus community healthy by being vaccinated, wearing masks indoors, washing/sanitizing your hands frequently and testing if you’re having symptoms or are not yet fully vaccinated. Because of your efforts, UW–Madison is seeing far fewer COVID-19 cases than we saw this time last year.

As the delta variant continues to spread through Wisconsin, 71 out of 72 counties are experiencing a high level of transmission, although Dane County’s rate remains well below most other areas. As expected, campus is seeing a rise in cases, which is likely to continue over the next couple of weeks.

Please keep in mind that the precautions we are all taking on campus – such as getting vaccinated, masking indoors and staying home if sick – remain the appropriate response to protect yourself in the classroom, office and lab.  Further, our testing recommendations and specific requirements for unvaccinated people aim to identify as many cases as possible, as quickly as possible, to limit the spread. And with our high campus vaccination rate – 91.5 percent and climbing – most campus cases will be mild. Nevertheless, these precautions are important to protect children who are too young to be vaccinated yet and other more vulnerable members of our community.

Please also be aware that there are other respiratory viruses circulating that are not COVID-19. The university is seeing a number of people who report symptoms and are testing negative for COVID-19. Please continue testing and staying home if you have symptoms.

Testing update

having symptoms, if required to test Check all testing sites for available appointments make your next appointment

New FAQs on close contacts

How to protect yourself and others

Choose a good quality face mask and wear it properly Stay home if you have COVID-19 symptoms, Use the If you test positive

How to get support and stay informed

This press release was produced by the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The views expressed here are the author’s own.