Dear Comets:

Last week, Dallas County’s public health committee lowered the county’s COVID-19 risk level to green, its lowest level. Since the end of February, our proactive testing and contact-tracing programs have shown consistently low numbers of cases in our campus community. As such, we believe it is now safe to discontinue some of the programs we have used throughout the pandemic to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on our community. However, we will continue to monitor North Texas COVID-19 risk levels, and we will not hesitate to reinstitute these programs as needed to protect the health of our community.

Effective Saturday, April 30, UT Dallas will make the following changes:

  • Completion of the Daily Health Check will no longer be required. However, you are encouraged to use the self-report form (English or Spanish) to report any positive test results. Reporting of symptoms and/or close contacts is not necessary.
  • The proactive and symptomatic testing programs will be discontinued. Community members are encouraged to test with their health care provider or with a home testing kit should they become symptomatic or suspect exposure to COVID-19. Students may seek testing through the Student Health Center. Positive test results should be reported through the self-report form (English or Spanish).
  • Self-reporting of vaccinations and/or boosters will be suspended.
  • The COVID-19 dashboard will be removed from the website.
  • Daily campus emails on COVID-19 cases will be halted.

Vaccinations and boosters remain one of the most effective tools in preventing severe illness from COVID-19. COVID-19 vaccines are widely available through health care providers and pharmacies, and students may get vaccinated and/or boosted through the Student Health Center. For those who are already vaccinated and/or boosted, thank you for taking that step to protect the health and safety of yourselves and those around you.

I am extremely grateful for all your efforts to help minimize the impact of COVID-19 on our campus community. Please stay healthy and safe, and thank you for remaining Comets United.

Sincerely,

Dr. Rafael Martín
Vice President and Chief of Staff