The following is the text of the video sent as a special message yesterday, March 11, 2021.
Next week we mark an important anniversary. Tuesday, March 16, will be exactly one year from the day that our colleges and offices went quiet. At the time, early in the days of the COVID-19 pandemic, we had no way of knowing how long the shutdown would continue.
I, like many of you, hoped a brief pause of in-person instruction and services would be enough for a strong national public health response to get ahead of the spreading pandemic. We now know that a coordinated response would not appear until much later.
We mark this anniversary with something that has eluded us for too long, hope that the end of the pandemic is near. Every day we are seeing infection rates fall and vaccination rates rise. Those who work in education are now at the front of the line for vaccines. And, we are hearing optimistic projections that by early summer there will be enough vaccine for every adult in the United States.
What we cannot do is let our guard down too early.
There is light at the end of the tunnel, but we must watch our step. Masks, distancing, and frequent hand washing continue to be the best advice to follow in public spaces. Small gatherings are possible for fully vaccinated people. Small is the operative word.
As a District, we must operate under the belief that our colleagues, students, and the public are not yet vaccinated. Until that changes, we will need to continue the behaviors adopted over this past year.
At the same time, we are beginning to plan for our eventual return to our campuses and offices. That won't happen soon, but it will happen, and we know our plan will need to be flexible.
I thank you, your representatives, our bargaining teams, and all who are helping to begin to plan the return to normal. The time is getting closer for us to put this chapter behind us – taking the best of what we have learned into a much brighter future.
Be well,
John
John Weispfenning, Ph.D.
Chancellor
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