University reinstates indoor mask requirement for School of Law in response to increased cases
On Wednesday, April 13, Wake Forest announced a temporary indoor mask requirement for the School of Law, beginning Thursday, April 14, in response to a recent uptick of cases in the school. The mask requirement also applies to outside guests or speakers in the School of Law.
Wake Forest leaders made the decision in consultation with Dr. Christopher Ohl of Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist and Dr. Cecil Price of Student Health Service. This requirement will remain in effect while the University monitors cases in the law school community.
At this time, no other areas of the Wake Forest community are experiencing an uptick in cases based on Student Health Service and BestHealth data. Wake Forest will continue to monitor this information closely.
The decision to reinstate masking in response to data particular to a location on campus marks a new phase in the University’s pandemic response.
“As I have said many times this year, we know how to do this,” President Susan R. Wente said. “Masking is one of the tools in our toolkit in responding to what we see in our case data. We can use it or other mitigation strategies, as warranted by our public health conditions.”
The University continues to monitor cases and provide data on the Our Way Forward dashboard.
As a reminder, faculty and staff outside the School of Law may continue to request that students and colleagues wear masks in their respective classrooms, conference rooms and individual offices as outlined in the March 1 message to the university. Masks will continue to be required in healthcare facilities, on University transportation and under the circumstances outlined in the message.
Categories: University Announcement
Breaking the bubble: COVID-19 safety
NOTE: While Dr. Ohl’s comments are directed at students, his advice is relevant to faculty and staff as well.
Infectious disease expert Christopher Ohl says that he’s been impressed with Wake Forest students this semester. “I wish I could personally thank each one of them for getting vaccinated and wearing a mask indoors,” said Ohl, who works at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist.
A high vaccination rate and student adherence to the campus and city mask mandate has kept the daily case counts displayed on the University’s COVID-19 dashboard in the single digits for most of the semester. Other university campuses, U.S. cities and some global destinations have had less success mitigating the spread of the virus.
However, the Wake Forest community must remain vigilant, especially during travel.
“When students break the Wake Forest bubble for Thanksgiving travel or for any other reason, they need to be even more diligent about wearing a mask and avoiding large indoor crowds than they do when participating in activities on campus,” Ohl advised. “I feel confident that the necessary safety precautions are in place and generally followed when traveling through airports, but once we reach our destination it is easy to let our guard down and give the virus an opportunity to spread.
“For extra insurance right after returning to campus a student could take an “at-home test” available at many pharmacies. If positive, they should alert the Student Health Service for confirmatory testing.” Read more
Categories: Guest Post
Faculty and staff forum to be held Aug. 5
As a reminder, Wake Forest University will hold a faculty and staff forum on Thursday, Aug. 5, from 4 to 5 p.m. The forum will include updates from President Susan Wente, Dr. Chris Ohl, Vice President Emily Neese and Provost Rogan Kersh.
University employees received an email today with a link to join the webinar, which will be recorded and posted on the Faculty & Staff page on Our Way Forward.
Categories: Inside WFU, University Announcement
88.5 WFDD Virtual Community Conversation: COVID-19 vaccines
88.5 WFDD will present the next in its series of free Virtual Community Conversations on Monday, Feb. 8, at 3 p.m. 
Bethany Chafin, assistant news director for WFDD, will moderate a discussion titled “What You Need to Know About COVID-19 Vaccines.” Public health experts will cover topics from the safety of the vaccine to the rollout timeline to how it’s being distributed. This webinar will be presented in both English and Spanish.
Panelists include:
- Mandy Cohen, M.D., M.P.H., Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS)
- Michelle Laws, Ph.D., NCDHHS Historically Marginalized Populations COVID Response Team lead
- Iulia Vann, M.D., M.P.H., Director, Guilford County Public Health
- Christopher Ohl, M.D., Wake Forest Baptist Health infectious disease expert
Listeners can submit questions for the guests in advance using this form.
Visit the WFDD website to register.
Categories: Events, Inside WFU
HR updates: Dr. Ohl on COVID, benefits enrollment, safety, flu shots, Koru
Positive COVID-19 case increase in expected range
Dr. Chris Ohl, infectious disease expert at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and one of our key advisors, shared his perspective on the number of positive cases on campus.
To watch a video message from Ohl and view the campus COVID-19 dashboard, visit the Our Way Forward site.
Benefits enrollment: Oct. 19 – 31
Benefits Enrollment for benefits-eligible faculty and staff will occur October 19-31. Faculty and staff will make updates in Workday if changing benefit elections, adding or removing a dependent(s) or planning to participate in a Flexible Spending Account (FSA). Wake Forest human resources will share more information in the coming weeks.
Flu shots
- On-Campus Clinics: Colleagues should complete the SneezSafe daily wellness screening and receive clearance before proceeding to campus.
- Drive-Through Clinics: Off-site colleagues exempt from the SneezSafe daily wellness screening, retirees, spouses and dependent children should use the drive-through clinic at LJVM Coliseum.
- Submitting Documentation: Bring a completed Flu Shot Consent Form (available in English or Spanish) with you to the flu shot clinic.
- Exemptions: Colleagues may request an exemption by completing the Influenza Vaccine Exemption Request Form.
Learn more on WFU HR’s flu shot page.
Koru
Koru Mindfulness® is an evidence-based program teaching mindfulness, meditation and stress management. The Chaplain’s Office offers all three components — Koru Basic, Koru 2.0 and Koru Retreat — to all WFU faculty, staff and students free of charge.
Visit the Chaplain Office’s mindfulness page to learn more and sign up.
Fire alarm and evacuation safety
In the event of a fire alarm on campus, it is important to follow current health and safety guidelines for face coverings and social distancing when exiting the building. When a fire alarm activates, put on a face mask if accessible and leave the building. Try to maintain six feet of distance between yourself and others as you exit and when gathering outside the building.
ICYMI – Hatch message
ICYMI: On September 21, President Hatch shared a message of gratitude with our faculty and staff colleagues and outlined his expectations for the rest of the fall semester.
Categories: Faculty News, Inside WFU, Staff News
