Greetings,

Thank you for your participation in the efforts to get us Back to Campus safely and efficiently. You will find an archive of past digests at our website.

King county is in Phase 3 and Pierce county is in Phase 2 of Governor Inslee’s Healthy Washington plan. The Bothell and Seattle campuses are in Healthy Washington Phase 3 and UW Tacoma is in Phase 2. Face coverings are required and telework is strongly encouraged. Learn more about the UW’s plan. 

Returning to Campus

• Tomorrow, May 4, 2021, Governor Inslee is expected to announce phase changes after the evaluation of weekend data.
• The City of Seattle received approx. 50,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for distribution this week and expects the same amount next week.
  • Many appointments now available at Lumen Field, Rainier Beach, and West Seattle, register here; North Seattle College, register here
  • Or use the WA COVID Vaccine Finder, this Facebook group or this site to find other locations throughout the state.
• On 5/3/2021, students received a message from Ana Mari sharing that students will need to verify their vaccination status prior to the start of autumn quarter. 
  • More information on this message under “Returning to School” below
• The WA Notify COVID-19 exposure notification app is live, enabling participants to utilize smartphone technology to prevent the spread of COVID-19. 
• EH&S has launched a dedicated phone hotline for UW students, faculty and staff to call with questions or to report on positive test results: 206-616-3344. All messages are logged and retrieved daily with appropriate follow-up provided by EH&S staff.

We have received reports of employees not being aware of the required online training or attestations prior to returning to campus. Please ensure this information is shared with all supervisors across your unit to inform relevant staff. 

• EH&S requires this online training for all persons on campus (faculty, staff, and students), even if they have already been working onsite as a critical employee, prior to returning to campus.
• Daily attestations are required for all staff and academic personnel coming to campus. 
  • For staff and student employees/supervisors
  • For academic personnel, including faculty, librarians, medical residents and fellows, postdoctoral scholars, and academic staff

Returning to Work

• UW HR shared information for high-risk employeesin line with state guidance, effective April 23, 2021. 
  • The UW may request verification from a medical provider to determine if an employee is high-risk and what accommodations are needed. 
• UW HR also shared answers to frequently asked questions about the COVID-19 vaccine release time policy.
• The waiver of physical review requirements (I-9) for remote employees remains in place until May 31, the termination of the national emergency, or whenever normal University operations resume, whichever comes first.
• The waiver of the 1,050 hour limit for temporary hourly staff has been extended and approval for campus positions remains required. 
• Unit/site-specific COVID-19 Prevention Plans are required for University workplaces.
• The UW has convened a Back to the Workplace Task Force reviewing and updating University protocols for how more UW employees can return to in-person work on our campuses.

Returning to Research

• Office of Research’s Guidance for Returning to In-Person Research.

Returning to School

• On 5/3/2021, President Ana Mari Cauce emailed students, faculty and academic staff with information about the vaccination requirement for students. 
  • Before the start of autumn quarter, students need to verify if they have been vaccinated unless they are claiming a medical, religious or philosophical exemption.
  • Similar to the existing tri-campus immunization requirement, and the verification process will be shared this summer. 
  • If students cannot verify their vaccination because they are unable to access a vaccine, the UW will provide access to a vaccine when the student arrives on campus.  
• The Office of Student Life has announced My SSP, which provides students access to real-time, confidential mental health and crisis intervention support, available 24/7 and in multiple languages. Available at: 1.866.743.7732, online chat, via the My SSP app as well as on the mental health landing page on the Husky Health and Well-Being website. 
• The UW has convened a Back to School Task Force reviewing and updating University protocols for campus spaces including residences, classrooms, labs and libraries.

Visit uw.edu/coronavirus for the most up-to-date communications and information for our UW community. 

If you have info for us to share in the digest, or feedback or questions, you can email us at engineeringuw@uw.edu. Please note, the contents of this email do not represent the full breadth of information and resources available. If we missed something, let us know.