Office of the President
Dear university community,
The University System of Georgia, based on updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has updated guidance on the wearing of face coverings and eligibility to seek alternative work arrangements. The updated guidance follows. Please review the guidance completely and proceed according to your own circumstances. Faculty and staff seeking alternative work arrangements as a result of the updated guidance should work with Human Resources and their respective supervisors or department chairs. Students may also work with their academic advisers to identify classes that are fully online.
Sincerely,
Mark Becker
President
New CDC and USG COVID-19 guidelines
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated guidance for managing COVID-19-related issues. Among the changes are those for people who will need extra precaution due to age and underlying medical conditions. In response to those changes, the University System of Georgia (USG) is updating guidance on the wearing of face coverings and on who is eligible to seek alternate work arrangements due to falling into one of these categories.
Older Adults
The CDC no longer gives a minimum age for those at risk. The USG will continue to use 65 as its measure for evaluating requests for alternate work arrangements. Individuals younger than 65 can provide documentation from a healthcare provider that their age is a determining factor for risk and should prevent them from working on campus as scheduled.
People of Any Age with Underlying Medical Conditions
People with the following underlying medical conditions may request alternate work arrangements under the previously developed process:
- Chronic kidney disease
- COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
- Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from solid organ transplant
- Obesity (body mass index [BMI] of 30 or higher)
- Serious heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies
- Sickle cell disease
- Type 2 diabetes mellitus
- Asthma (moderate-to-severe)
- Cerebrovascular disease (affects blood vessels and blood supply to the brain)
- Cystic fibrosis
- Hypertension or high blood pressure
- Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from blood or bone marrow transplant, immune deficiencies, HIV, use of corticosteroids, or use of other immune weakening medicines
- Neurologic conditions, such as dementia
- Liver disease
- Pregnancy
- Pulmonary fibrosis (having damaged or scarred lung tissues)
- Smoking
- Thalassemia (a type of blood disorder)
- Type 1 diabetes mellitus
Use of Face Coverings
Effective July 15, USG institutions will require faculty, staff, students and visitors to wear an appropriate face covering while inside campus facilities where six feet of social distancing may not always be possible. Face covering use will be in addition to and is not a substitute for social distancing.
Face coverings aren’t required in one’s own dorm room or suite, when alone in an enclosed office or study room or in campus outdoor settings where social distancing requirements are met.
Anyone not using a face covering when required will be asked to wear one or must leave the area. Repeated refusal to comply with the requirement may result in discipline through the applicable conduct code for faculty, staff or students.
Reasonable accommodations may be made for those who are unable to wear a face covering for documented health reasons.