UVU urges students to ‘stay safe to stay open’ while celebrating Halloween
On Monday, Oct. 26 students and faculty received an email that detailed how to “stay safe” while enjoying the holiday festivities this week.
Linda Makin, vice president of Planning, Budgeting and Human Resources, and Dr. Kyle Reyes, vice president of Student Affairs, authored the email.
“Under normal circumstances, masks on campus would be discouraged — this year, they are the norm to stay safe,” Makin and Reyes said, “Thank you for doing your part to reduce the level of transmission of COVID-19 by wearing your mask on campus, in public indoor settings, and outdoors when physical distancing is not feasible”.
Additionally, the email reminds students to avoid high-risk activities, “including traditional trick-or-treating, large costume parties, and Halloween activities held indoors,” and urges students to “get creative” when choosing ways to celebrate the holiday.
The email also notes the CDC as a resource for ideas on ways to safely celebrate the holiday.
Self-reported COVID-19 cases at UVU are on the decline and have been since the spike in cases in mid-September. The university strongly recommends diligence on the part of students and faculty moving forward in order to maintain these trends.
For Halloween specifically, these guidelines will include adhering to local health and safety guidelines both on and off-campus. Limiting social gatherings to 10 people or fewer, and frequently washing your hands.
Messages similar to the email received Monday were shared less than two weeks ago as the school moved into fall break.
“Our main goal is to stay open, to do that we need students to be smart both on and off-campus,” said Robin Ebmeyer, director of Emergency Management and Safety at UVU.
UVU will continue to function with restrictions, including those for events. The university’s annual Halloween dance, Insomnia, will be a drive-in event to ensure the safety of those who choose to attend. Other campus-wide festivities have been postponed or adjusted to an online format.
For more information on how to stay safe over Halloween and to find more details on COVID-19 and how it is impacting campus, visit UVU’s Return to Campus web page. Students can also access the full email in their student inbox or here.
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English major with an emphasis in Creative Writing- double minor in Environmental Studies and Communication.