Lyon College shared its fall COVID-19 policies regarding masks, vaccines, and testing with students, faculty, and staff on Friday, July 16.
The College’s policy decisions were informed by the availability of the COVID-19 vaccine and by the percentage of the Lyon community and Batesville community that are vaccinated as of Monday, July 12.
The College's campus vaccination survey showed that approximately 85 percent of Lyon College employees had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. In addition, Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson announced in his Batesville forum on Monday, July 12, that 69.3 percent of Batesville's population is fully vaccinated and 13.9 percent is partially vaccinated.
Masks
Wearing a mask is not required. However, the College asks that all community members be respectful of one another and of their decision to wear or not wear a mask. The College will also provide N-95 masks and face shields to any faculty, staff, or student that requests them.
The policy reminds all community members that "per CDC guidelines, if you are not vaccinated, you are encouraged to wear a mask."
The College will not impose penalties on community members for wearing or not wearing masks, but it does encourage all students, faculty, and staff to continue to educate themselves on health guidelines and refer back to the College's policy as much as possible.
Vaccines
The College will make vaccines available to any community member that wishes to receive one. Vaccine clinics will be held on campus in August, and those dates and times will be shared soon. Lyon College will not require campus community members to be vaccinated for COVID-19, but the vaccine is strongly encouraged.
Testing
All students returning for the fall semester are required to participate in entry testing. Entry testing will be conducted on move-in days August 1st from 10 a.m. -12 p.m., August 7th from 8 a.m. -10:30 a.m., and August 15th from 1 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.The antigen test (rapid test) will be administered. Students will not be required to quarantine while awaiting results. Commuter students will need to come to campus on one of the move-in dates to participate in entry testing or schedule a time with the Director of Health and Wellness.
The College will conduct surveillance testing throughout the fall semester. The purpose of surveillance testing is to gather a statistical sample of the College campus to determine the College’s infection rate. Each week, 40 Lyon community members will be selected at random to take a rapid antigen test. For the selection process, a report provided by Information Services will generate 40 random ID numbers of current students, faculty, and staff each week. The Director of Health and Wellness will have testing times Monday and Tuesday from 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. and 2 - 4 p.m. and Thursday from 9 -11 a.m. and 2-4 p.m. for the participants’ convenience.
To view the full policy document, please visit lyon.edu/coronavirus or click here.