Colleagues,
As you may have seen in the attached Texas A&M University memo, face coverings are no longer required on Texas A&M University campuses, pursuant to Executive Order No. GA-36 issued by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on May 18, 2021. The executive order also applies to all Texas A&M AgriLife facilities throughout the state, effective immediately at indoor and outdoor facilities and venues. At host facilities that have a face covering requirement, AgriLife employees should follow the host’s guidance.
For employees and students who have not been vaccinated, we still highly recommend face coverings to reduce the spread of COVID-19. We encourage vaccination, with COVID-19 vaccines readily available at many locations statewide as well as on the Texas A&M University campus.
Aside from face coverings, AgriLife will continue to follow other COVID-19 protocols consistent with public health guidance, including social distancing and use of hand sanitizers.
Other updates:
Reporting COVID-19 cases
For reporting COVID-19 symptoms, exposure or a positive test, please review information provided by the university and report to the university’s portal. For any questions, email COVID19Process@tamu.edu.
In addition, until further notice, AgriLife employees meeting the following criteria must continue to inform their supervisor, complete an online form and contact Debi Fincher:
- Developing symptoms of COVID-19.
- Traveling in the previous 14 days to an area that requires quarantine upon return home.
- Having been in close contact with anyone known or suspected to have tested positive for COVID-19.
Travel updates
- As of June 1, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service employees will resume pre-COVID travel authorization protocols. Supervisors will be following up with employees to confirm the process and approvals.
- As of June 1, domestic travel authorizations for Texas A&M AgriLife Research will resume pre-COVID protocols.
- As of June 1, vehicular occupancy limitations are removed for AgriLife Extension and AgriLife Research. However, we recommend that unvaccinated personnel wear masks when traveling in the same vehicle with others. We also recommend that if traveling for work with more than one person per vehicle, do not exceed 50% maximum vehicle occupancy, have the ventilation system turned on but not placed in recirculation mode, and, when possible, have two windows slightly open.
- Mission-critical international work travel may be approved on a case-by-case basis by the CEO or designee. However, please note that any country on the CDC’s list of countries with restrictions on entry to the U.S. will be included on The Texas A&M University System Risk Management’s list of Extreme Risk Countries. Travel to these countries will not be approved. Please continue to check the CDC travel website, as these recommendations may evolve. All requests for international travel must be routed through Concur for Ethics & Compliance review, risk mitigation, and subsequent recommendation to the CEO for approval.
All travelers should review the current levels of community transmission of COVID-19 in the locations where they will be traveling.
Event guidance
As we transition into the summer, we understand there will be a shift to in-person and hybrid events.
- Gathering limits: Follow the relevant local, state or university guidance regarding group gathering limits and appropriate protocols. Please reference the appropriate Open Texas Checklist for your event.
- Hybrid offerings: Not all guests may be comfortable with attending in person. Please consider offering a virtual option to events to ensure all parties can attend in their preferred format.
- Virtual meetings: For alternative methods of delivery for traditional face-to-face meetings and educational programs, the Digital Education unit has put together a resource on best practices and tools that are currently supported by AgriLife.
- Visitors to AgriLife Facilities: As of June 1, AgriLife facilities are open to visitors, and until further notice visitors should complete the COVID-19 Screening for AgriLife Facility Visitors form prior to their arrival onto our facilities. The document should be kept in case contact tracing is needed.
Thank you,
Patrick J. Stover, Ph.D.
Vice Chancellor, Texas A&M AgriLife
Dean, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Director, Texas A&M AgriLife Research
From: Texas A&M University <tamu@tamu.edu>
Date: Tuesday, May 18, 2021 at 5:32 PM
Subject: Face Coverings On Campus No Longer Required
A MESSAGE FROM TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
May 18, 2021
Faculty, Staff, Students and Campus Visitors,
Pursuant to Executive Order No. GA-36 issued today by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, face coverings are no longer required on Texas A&M University campuses. This is effective immediately and therefore applies to remaining commencement ceremonies, as well as indoor and outdoor facilities and venues.
For employees and students who have not been vaccinated, face coverings are highly recommended to reduce the spread of COVID-19. We encourage vaccination, with information for doing so available here.
Please be aware that signage on campus will be replaced with new guidance soon.
For continued updates regarding COVID-19 information including testing and vaccinations, please visit www.tamu.edu/coronavirus/, which soon will be updated with new information including summer and fall protocols.
