Welcome to the Nebraska Today COVID-19 Digest (fall 2021 semester edition). This is a regular feature intended to deliver the university’s most current virus news and help you navigate campus during the ongoing global pandemic.
These briefs are updated regularly and appear in the Nebraska Today newsletter.
The most recent update, which posted at 3 p.m. Sept. 12, outlines vaccine clinics available on campus on Sept. 16.
Online resources
• University’s COVID-19 response
• Testing. Reporting. Contact tracing.
• Health and safety
• Facilities and events
• Spring 2021 academic calendar
• COVID-19 policies
• Frequently asked questions
University travel policy updated
The University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s travel policy has been updated to mirror recommendations set by federal, state and local public health agencies.
The policy update removes guidance that individuals should delay travel until they are fully vaccinated. It also eliminates criteria that outlined the need for those who are not vaccinated to get tested for COVID-19 before a trip and to quarantine after returning.
The updated policy is available on the university’s primary travel page and on the student travel page.
Learn more about the university’s ongoing response to COVID-19.
Second-dose Pfizer vaccine clinics are Sept.16
The university will offer a second-dose Pfizer clinics for students, faculty and staff vaccinated during move-in week clinics (held Aug. 25-26) on Sept. 16. The clinics are 10 a.m. to noon in the Nebraska Union’s Regency Suite, and from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Nebraska East Union’s Prairie Suite.
Huskers who have not yet had the first of the Pfizer vaccines two shots and would like to get vaccinated can participate in the Sept. 16 clinics. The vaccine is also available through the [University Health Center](https://health.unl.edu/covid-19-vaccines) and [community-based options](https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/How-Do-I-Get-a-COVID-...).
Learn more about [vaccine availability](https://covid19.unl.edu/vaccination-information) and the university’s [ongoing response to COVID-19](https://covid19.unl.edu/).
Questions about quarantine, isolation protocols?
The university offers students, faculty and staff the most recent information bout quarantine and isolation protocols on the COVID-19 website. Click here for quarantine protocols. Click here for isolation protocols. Broader information regarding health and safety on campus during the pandemic is available here.
No on-campus COVID-19 testing offered on Labor Day
Posted on Aug. 31 — Due to the Labor Day observance, the University of Nebraska–Lincoln will not offer on-campus, saliva-based COVID-19 testing on Sept. 6. All students, faculty and staff participating in the weekly testing protocol who test on Mondays should adjust to an earlier day to have campus building access on Sept. 7.
The university is offering COVID-19 testing Sept. 1-3. Campus testing facilities will be closed Sept. 4 due to the Husker football game against Fordham. They will reopen Sept. 5, but results may take longer than 24 hours to process due to the holiday Sept. 6. The university will return to its regular testing schedule on Sept. 7.
Students, faculty and staff who shift testing due to the holiday observance should note that this will also change their weekly testing date. Students, faculty and staff can access their most recent testing data and review when their next required test is via the Safer Community app or the university's online testing portal.
To reduce lines at campus testing sites, students, faculty and staff are urged to schedule their tests via the SaferCommunity app or the online testing portal.
Learn more about the campus testing protocol.
On-campus, Pfizer vaccine clinics begin today
Posted Aug. 25
The University of Nebraska–Lincoln is offering vaccine clinics utilizing the Pfizer vaccine on Aug. 25 and 26 at the Nebraska Unions on City and East campuses. The clinic will be held indoors and mask use will be required.
The clinics are open to students, faculty and staff. Clinic hours and locations for both days are:
• Nebraska Union — 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Regency Room
• Nebraska East Union — 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Prairie Suite
The Pfizer vaccine was granted full approval by the Food and Drug Administration on Aug. 23.
Member of the campus community who are full vaccinated and participate in the university's Voluntary COVID-19 Vaccine Registry are exempt from weekly spit-based testing protocols. Learn more about this and other pandemic protocols here.
Face coverings may be required in classrooms, academic activities
Editor's Note — This was posted on Aug. 21, 2021, prior to the Lincoln-Lancaster County mask requirement. Masks are now required when indoors on campus and in the Lincoln or Lancaster County community. Learn more here.
In an Aug. 18 email to campus, Chancellor Ronnie Green announced that face coverings for academic activities may be required during the fall semester.
Face coverings may be necessary primarily in instances where students, instructors and staff must work in close proximity to each other for extended periods of time. Those spaces include:
• Lab courses in the physical sciences, life sciences, engineering and human sciences.
• Performance courses such as dance, music and theater.
• Art and design studios in architecture, engineering, and fine and performing arts.
• Experiential learning opportunities that require substantial physical interactions in close proximity over an extended period.
Face coverings may also be required in a class where the instructor or a student has immediate family who are unable to be vaccinated.
Course syllabi will note if face coverings are required.
Read the chancellor’s entire message.
Re-entry testing required for all students, faculty, staff
Regardless of vaccination status, all students, faculty and staff must complete one round of saliva-based COVID-19 re-entry testing by Aug. 22.
The testing is required by the Lincoln-Lancaster Health Department and will be used to make data-driven decisions regarding the rate of infections on campus.
Learn more about testing and other COVID-19 protocols.
Voluntary vaccine registry eliminates need for weekly testing
The university is requiring that all students, faculty and staff complete weekly, saliva-based COVID-19 tests during the fall semester.
Huskers who have been vaccinated and participate in the voluntary vaccine registry are exempt from the weekly testing protocol.
Learn more about the registry, related prize giveaways and testing.
Campus event guidelines updated
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the university has updated its guidelines for hosting events on campus. Released Aug. 12, the updates are required for any campus gathering with 50 or more participants. And, any event that may draw 500 or more participants must be pre-approved by campus administration and the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department.
Review the complete campus event guidelines and procedures.
Negative, on-campus test needed to access university facilities
Only those negative COVID-19 tests completed through the on-campus, saliva-based testing protocol can be used to gain access to university facilities.
The university's saliva-based PCR test is as reliable as nasal-based testing. Further, the Safer Community app and printable building access pass (offered for those without smartphones) can only be linked to results from on-campus saliva tests. Results from a health care provider or any other outside testing program cannot be substituted for a test from the university's saliva-based testing protocol.
Learn more about the university's saliva-based testing program here.
What if I test positive?
Members of the campus community who test positive for COVID-19 can find the most current protocols on the university’s COVID-19 website. Details are available in the “Testing, Reporting and Contact Tracing” section.
Dashboard offers regular updates regarding virus cases
The university’s COVID-19 Dashboard provides regular updates on daily cases, positivity rates and other trends regarding the virus in the campus community. The dashboard will be updated daily during the fall semester starting on Aug. 23.
What if I have a question related to the university’s pandemic response?
The university’s COVID-19 website is intended to be a resource for any question regarding our ongoing pandemic response. If you are unable to find an answer on the site, send your inquiry via email to covid19@unl.edu.
