Mitchell Hamline will discontinue its COVID-19 vaccination policy on May 21, 2023. The policy was instituted in August 2021 and required all employees, students and visitors to be up to date with COVID-19 vaccinations as a condition to be on the Mitchell Hamline premises. Visitors will also no longer to complete a screening form at the front desk. Even as these measures are being updated, students and employees are still encouraged to stay home if they test positive for COVID. Remote learning also will still be available for students who must stay home.
Below are excerpts from an email from the law school, explaining the update to its COVID protocols as the national public health emergency is set to expire:
After three years of the many changes this pandemic has had on our lives, President Biden announced that he will end the COVID-19 National and Public Health Emergency Declarations, effective May 11, 2023, citing the success of vaccination and the reports of reduced COVID-19 illness and deaths. Additionally, recent data suggest that the COVID-19 community risk level is low in the Twin Cities and across most of Minnesota, with the few places maintaining their mask mandates (e.g., medical facilities).
As we move forward with plans for the summer and next academic year, we have concluded that it is appropriate to modify our current COVID-19 protocols as described below. We will continue to find the best course of actions to navigate through our commitment to protect the health and well-being of our School community.
Effective May 21, 2023, Mitchell Hamline will discontinue the following policies and practices:
- Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination Policy; and
- Requirement for visitors to complete a COVID-19 screening at the front desk;
We will continue to keep several measures in place as general health safeguards, including:
- Requiring employees and students to report if they test positive for Covid using the online reporting form;
- Requiring students and employees to stay home if they test positive for Covid; Remote options for class participation will be available for students who must stay home.
- Maintaining the heightened ventilation that was implemented in 2020;
- Although face masks and distancing are not required, we will encourage and support any person’s preference to wear a mask and maintain physical distance from others;
- Encouraging all faculty, staff, and students to be up to date on vaccinations.
- Incorporating general public health protocols for group gatherings;
- Providing hand sanitizing dispensers around the building;
- Retaining the COVID-19 Response Team to monitor conditions and, if circumstances change, to develop and implement an appropriate mitigation plan.
We greatly appreciate the measures all of you have taken these past three years to keep yourselves and members of this community safe.