By Karen Tomlinson, director of Student Health Services, and Greg Williams, director of Public Safety
Traditionally, a new year is a time that we reflect on the past and look forward to making positive changes for the future. Unfortunately, the virus that causes COVID-19 also "likes" to change.
What does this mean for our UNG community? The greatest impact of these changes will be the requirement to quarantine based on immunization status and the length of both isolation and quarantine periods.
As a response to the ability of the virus to adapt and mutate, the CDC guidelines are also continually changing.
These new guidelines will affect our faculty, staff and students as we begin our spring 2022 semester.
On Dec. 28, 2021, the Georgia Department of Public Health updated its isolation and quarantine guidance, reducing the amount of minimum time required after infection or exposure.
A general summary of the updated guidelines is below.
UNG community members are encouraged to review the full documents and resources located on the Nighthawks Together webpage.
Isolation: If you test positive for COVID-19, everyone (regardless of vaccination status) must:
Quarantine: If you have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 and you are:
The pandemic remains active, and we strongly encourage everyone to continue the following practices:
Appointments are available at the UNG Student Health Services on the Dahlonega and Gainesville campuses for all UNG students who are exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19.
Asymptomatic testing is available at various campuses throughout the semester. Register online for surveillance testing.
Student Health Services will be offering first or second dose or booster Pfizer COVID vaccines on the Dahlonega and Gainesville campuses. See an updated list of COVID-19 vaccine clinics at UNG and register on the Nighthawks Together webpage. Upcoming dates include Jan. 20 and Feb. 11 in Gainesville and Feb. 4 in Dahlonega.
Interested participants should bring their UNG employee or student ID. A COVID vaccine card must also be presented if a COVID vaccine was previously received.
We need to use all of the resources available on our campuses to create the safest environment possible for our UNG community.