UNT World Faculty & Staff:
Across UNT World we are excited for a fall with fully opened campuses at UNT, UNT Health Science Center and UNT Dallas. Over the last 18 months our COVID-19 response teams have done an incredible job of helping us navigate the many challenges of the pandemic and they will continue to make the safety of students, faculty and staff our top priority as we resume normal operations this fall.
If there’s one thing we’ve learned about the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s that circumstances are consistently evolving. Citing new evidence that the delta variant of the coronavirus could be spread through rare “breakthrough” infections in vaccinated people, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week announced it now recommends increased public mask use when indoors in regions where the variant is spreading quickly – this includes all of North Texas.
Please note that each campus will continue to be in touch with details about their fall plans. We have shared CDC guidance throughout the pandemic and will continue to post the latest recommendations to our UNT System web site. It is important to note that there is no mask mandate in Texas, as summarized in a statement released by Governor Greg Abbott’s office this week:
“Governor Abbott has been clear that the time for government mandating of masks is over—now is the time for personal responsibility. Every Texan has the right to choose whether they will wear a mask, or have their children wear masks. Vaccines are the most effective defense against contracting COVID and becoming seriously ill, and we continue to urge all eligible Texans to get the vaccine. The COVID vaccine will always remain voluntary and never forced in Texas.”
I encourage you to get vaccinated if you have not already, and our medical experts at HSC continue to recommend COVID-19 testing for anyone experiencing symptoms – fever/chills, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, muscle/body aches, headache, new loss of taste/smell, sore throat, congestion/runny nose, nausea or diarrhea. As noted by Gov. Abbott, this is a time for personal responsibility.
Thank you for your continued flexibility and dedication – your efforts over the past 18 months have us well-positioned for a return to normalcy this fall.
Lesa B. Roe
Chancellor
UNT System