Best practices for a safe Thanksgiving break

We hope each of you are looking forward to a restful, fulfilling Thanksgiving break next week and that you return to campus recharged and reinvigorated to finish the semester strong.

As many of us make plans to celebrate the holiday, we want to encourage all Mavericks to adhere to some COVID‑19 best practices to protect yourself, your loved ones, and our campus community.

We encourage you to get tested for COVID‑19 before and after traveling or attending large gatherings over the holiday break to mitigate the chances of unknowingly spreading the virus. It’s recommended you get tested 2‑3 days before traveling or attending a large gathering and 3‑5 days after.

Free on-campus testing options remain open to you and your family. The testing site in the Carlisle Suite in the University Center will be closed Nov. 24‑26, and the location in College Park District will be closed Nov. 25‑26. Both sites otherwise will be open to support your post-holiday testing needs.

Contact covidtesting@uta.edu with questions about our testing policy or resources.

If you test positive for COVID‑19, submit the Personal Diagnosis Form and self-isolate at an off-campus location for at least 10 days, during which time the UTA Health Services Contact Tracing Team will reach out to you.
If you come into close contact with a COVID-positive individual, submit the Close Contact Form and follow the close contact guidance for vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals. Close contact is defined as being within six feet of an individual that is lab-confirmed to have COVID‑19 for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24‑hour period.
Remember we have a number of upcoming on-campus COVID‑19 vaccine clinics to help protect you and members of your family 5 years and older against the virus. For questions about the COVID‑19 vaccine and on-campus clinics, contact covidvaccine@uta.edu.

In this season of giving thanks, we want to express our deep gratitude for the work each of you have put in to make this a safe, successful semester. We have seen consistently low COVID‑19 positivity rates that are on a downward trend. This achievement is a direct result of your adherence to COVID‑19 protocols and support of best practices like wearing masks when indoors, staying home when you’re sick, and getting vaccinated.

Thank you for continuing to make the health and well-being of all Mavericks a priority. Please enjoy this well-deserved break, and we look forward to a successful completion of the fall 2021 semester for us all.