Dear TUJ students:

 

Protect campus by wearing quality Masks
Pick-up a KF94 mask on campus

Following updated guidance from health officials, Temple University has new mask recommendations. With the new variant, cloth masks alone are no longer adequate for protecting yourself and others. Health authorities recommend that you wear the most protective mask you can that fits well (completely covers your nose|mouth) and that you will wear consistently. Here are some guidelines:

  • Good: a surgical mask with multiple layers of nonwoven material
  • Better: a surgical mask with a cloth mask over it
  • Best: a KN95/KF94 mask

To get you started, TUJ will make a limited number of KF94 masks available at no cost starting this week. Please pick a KF94 mask up on campus at the Information Center or guard station. High-quality surgical and KN95/KF94 masks are readily available online and in stores.

 

Update -- COVID cases in the TUJ community

We continue to closely monitor the health situation on our campus while tracking COVID cases in our community. If you test positive or become a close contact, please email Etsuko Suzuki at Estuko.Suzuki@tuj.temple.edu. Here are the most recent numbers

  • On-campus: Over the past several days, we have learned of three additional TUJ students who have tested positive for COVID-19 and who were on campus last week. Contract tracing has been completed. Fortunately, it appears that masks were diligently worn, and close contacts were minimal. The students’ symptoms are mild, and we wish them a speedy recovery. Those potential impacted by these cases have already received an email describing the applicable circumstances.
  • Off-campus: At present, we have three other TUJ students who have notified us that they have tested positive. These students have not been on-campus.
  • Isolating: We also have several other members of our community who are isolating because a family member or friend has come into close contact with a person infected by COVID-19. Out of an abundance of caution, several others are isolating while monitoring their health conditions. These cases do not directly impact our campus at this time.

 

Booster Vaccinations

We are working with Showa Women’s University to secure booster shots for the TUJ community. Although we cannot make any guarantees at this time, we hope that booster shots on-campus will become available in early March.

 

Enlisting your Assistance

Although there is no indication of transmission campus at this time, we need to be mindful of the situation and act with due care.  We would like to enlist everyone’s cooperation so that we can maintain our in-person classes. PLEASE, if you are experiencing any symptoms associated with COVID (including the omicron variant), join your classes remotely until you have a complete picture of your health situation. Common symptoms associated with the new variant include fever, runny nose, sore throat, headache, and cough.

Also, in addition to diligently wearing your mask and constantly monitoring your health, please make sure that you practice good hand hygiene, refrain from touching your face, avoid crowds, and ensure ventilation. As we have mentioned previously, please seek out vaccinations or booster shots.

Thank you again for your patience and cooperation. We will continue to keep you updated.

  

Respectfully,

Matthew Wilson
Dean