Spring Break 2021: Safety, Travel, and Vaccinations
Dear UTRGV Family,
Spring Break is typically an opportunity to step back, relax, and enjoy some much-needed time off. And for many, the desire to let loose after nearly one year of constraints is greater than ever. Despite the promising data resulting from the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, we must all remain vigilant when it comes to protecting ourselves — and each other — next week and beyond.
Travel
Several variants of the virus are circulating in Texas, the United States, and across the globe. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), these variants seem to spread more easily and quickly than other coronavirus variants, making travel of any sort risky.
While UTRGV continues to discourage travel, the University does not require you to report domestic travel (within the United States). However, you are required to report any international travel (outside of the 50 states).
For more, see UTRGV’s current travel protocols.
Stay Safe
You deserve to have fun — but so does everyone else. The best way to make sure everyone can enjoy Spring Break next year is to continue wearing a face covering and keeping a distance, especially in public spaces. Though the recent executive order lifts the state-wide mask mandate and restraints on businesses, Governor Abbott encourages individuals to wear face coverings and maintain social distancing. As such, UTRGV will continue enforcing these protocols, which have proven to be effective in slowing the spread on campus and everywhere else they are properly practiced.
Right now, we need to be even more mindful of where we are going, who we are with, and what we are doing. That means avoiding certain things we may have been doing or didn’t believe to be risky, like carpooling or dining with unvaccinated friends and family.
New Guidelines for Fully Vaccinated People
Getting vaccinated not only protects us from illness but it can also allow us to gather safely.
In its recently updated guidelines, the CDC states that fully vaccinated people can:
- Visit with other fully vaccinated people indoors without wearing masks or physical distancing
- Visit with unvaccinated people from a single household who are at low risk for severe COVID-19 disease indoors without wearing masks or physical distancing
- Refrain from quarantine and testing following a known exposure if asymptomatic
While these are encouraging signs to get vaccinated, fully vaccinated people should still avoid gathering with unvaccinated people from multiple households (i.e. large parties, crowded public places).
If you are considering hosting or attending a gathering with people from multiple households (vaccinated or unvaccinated), please refer to these CDC guidelines on events and gatherings to help you make informed decisions.
UTRGV Vaccine Portal
If you haven’t yet done so, please complete your profile in the UTRGV Vaccine Portal. All students, faculty, and staff who want the vaccine can get it from UT Health RGV once eligible.
As you can see, the COVID-19 vaccines are helping us get our lives back, but completing your profile is your next step toward restoring a sense of normalcy. In the coming months, we all should expect vaccination to be necessary for some activities. While protecting your health is the main benefit of getting vaccinated, keep in mind that vaccination almost certainly will be required for future domestic or international travel and even to attend concerts or sporting events.
If you’ve already gotten vaccinated, please update your profile after receiving each dose — it’s just as important as creating it in the first place. Doing so not only helps us measure vaccine demand — it also helps us track Community Immunity, a critical step in returning to more normal in-person operations.
We all should know what to do by now. Let’s have a healthier and safer Spring Break now so that more of us can enjoy the time with loved ones next year. Thank you for doing your part to protect our UTRGV family.