COVID-19 Update: Have a healthy break & start to the New Year - Get tested before you return

To help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and initiate a safe and healthy start to the spring semester, RIT is strongly encouraging all students, faculty, and staff, regardless of immunization status, to get a COVID-19 test 2-3 days before returning to campus in January. 

As we approach another holiday season in the pandemic, take precautions to enjoy travel and holiday fun. COVID-19 transmission usually happens at indoor social gatherings where people are not wearing masks. Here are a few tips to share health and well-being as well as holiday cheer: 

• Wear a mask when socializing indoors, especially when you are in the company of those who may not be fully vaccinated or could be vulnerable to serious illness. 
• Bundle up and go for a walk or play outside with friends and loved ones instead of staying indoors.
• Spend quality one-on-one time with friends rather than in large gatherings.
• Make some video calls.
• Get a booster if six months beyond your final Pfizer or Moderna dose or two months out from your J&J dose.

COVID-19 will be here for a while, and we are learning to live with it. Remember, these safety measures protect vulnerable members of our communities, families, and ourselves. As global citizens, it is vitally important for us to look out for one another. 

Get a COVID-19 test 2-3 days before your return to ensure results come in before you leave home. Isolating at home is more comfortable than navigating roommates for many of us. If you are a student and test positive, please upload your result to the Wellness Portal in the Health Center to update your professors regarding a remote start. If you are a faculty or staff and test positive, consult with your physician and report this information in RIT Employee Self-Service.

We will continue to update the community via the RIT Safety Plan. 

Thank you for your continued diligence and commitment to preserving the health of our community.

Happy & healthy holidays!

Wendy Gelbard, MD, Associate Vice President, Wellness

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