Contact: Sid Salter
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥斞侵奚墒悠 will maintain COVID-19 safety protocols through the end of the Spring 2021 semester, including current mask, physical distancing and sanitation requirements.
鈥淚t鈥檚 important to note that these protocols have been effective for more than a year now in keeping our campus community and guests safe,鈥 said MSU President Mark E. Keenum. 鈥淲hile great progress has been made and our numbers are trending substantially down, we are not yet past this public health threat. We believe that it is prudent to keep basic safety protocols in place through the end of this semester.鈥
Keenum said the university鈥檚 leadership team would 鈥渆valuate our situation at the end of the semester and hopefully be able to relax restrictions as vaccination rates rise and COVID-19 case rates continue to decline.鈥
On Tuesday [March 2], MSU Athletics announced plans for athletic events after Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves鈥 latest Executive Order relaxed some statewide restrictions. Keenum said the MSU Division of Student Affairs, the Division of Academic Affairs and other major campus entities would soon share additional information regarding future operating guidelines in response to the Governor鈥檚 Executive Order.
Keenum reiterated that at this time, MSU plans for in-person Spring Commencement activities under certain COVID-19 guidelines and that plans for the Fall 2021 semester include in-person classes and a return to pre-COVID-19 campus operating guidelines.
鈥淭he prevalence of multiple COVID-19 vaccines and current trends in our state offer us both hope and metrics for returning our campus to normal operations, which is the goal of our students, faculty and staff,鈥 said Keenum. 鈥淚 thank our Bulldog family for their efforts to keep the campus community safe, and I encourage them to continue these efforts through the end of this semester so that we don鈥檛 sacrifice the safety we鈥檝e achieved thus far together.鈥
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