Lindenwood University announced on Friday that they’ll be changing their on-campus COVID-19 protocol procedures starting Monday, Feb 28.

The announcement came Friday afternoon by email from the university’s Pandemic Preparedness Task Force, or PPT. The email explained that the university will be starting “the first phase of lifting our safety measures.” Both the PPT and executive officers will monitor the changes for any adjustments.

The new protocols for Lindenwood are:

• Lindenwood will cease contact tracing processes.
• For the “first phase,” masks are optional in the recreational/fitness facilities while working out, at performances in the Scheidegger theater, and at athletic events.
• Lindenwood will suspend the reporting requirements for vaccination or negative tests for students and employees to begin work or enroll at the university.
• The daily announcement will no longer display in Canvas and will not be delivered to email inboxes.

Lindenwood will continue the following protocols:

• Employees and students will continue to report positive test results or exposure to a confirmed COVID-19 case through the Initial Assessment Survey.
• Individuals with a confirmed case of COVID-19 will still be required to isolate.
• Exposed individuals will still be required to quarantine.
• Employees and students will still be required to provide proof of a negative test to return to work or campus activities.
• Masks are still required in all academic and office buildings, in the dining halls while not eating, and during any clubs, organization, department, program, or athletics team meetings.
• Continued reporting of isolation and quarantine counts will remain in effect.

According to the PPT, these changes are being made based on the number of cases reported by both the university and the surrounding community. These reports give an optimistic outlook of the virus exposure, including the Omicron variant.

For any questions about COVID-19 or Lindenwood’s protocols, contact the university’s COVID Response Team.