DALLAS, TX – Dear UT Dallas community:

Our successful Comets United protocols to safeguard the health of our faculty, staff and students remain in place; however, with the increasing availability and uptake of the COVID-19 vaccines, we now can make some modifications to our campus safety protocols based on updated guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Effective May 1, 2021, fully vaccinated individuals who are registered through the UT Dallas voluntary vaccine reporting tool:

  • Will no longer need to wear a mask outdoors on campus, except when at a crowded event;
  • Will no longer be required to quarantine/isolate and may continue working on campus after a known COVID-19 exposure;
  • Will no longer need to quarantine in campus housing after a known COVID-19 exposure (applies to on-campus residents);
  • Will be able to opt out of the Daily Health Check; and
  • Will be exempted from routine COVID-19 screening. (Unvaccinated and/or unregistered individuals will be subject to routine COVID-19 screening upon their return to campus.)

Please note: The changes above apply only to those fully vaccinated individuals who remain asymptomatic. If an individual exhibits symptoms consistent with COVID-19, regardless of their vaccination status, they should complete a COVID-19 self-report form (English or Spanish) and may be asked to take a COVID-19 test and/or quarantine.

Individuals 16 years and older can receive a vaccine for free at any site or participating pharmacy offering the vaccines. UT Dallas has partnered with UT Southwestern Medical Center to host a site on our campus in the Davidson-Gundy Alumni Center. All students, faculty and staff — including those who are not currently UTSW patients — may register on the medical center’s vaccine registration portal and should be able to schedule a same-day appointment.

I encourage everyone in our community to get vaccinated as soon as possible. This is the best way for us to be able to return to all of the activities and interactions that make UT Dallas a vibrant and exciting campus.

We remain enormously grateful for the resilience and compassion you have shown over the past year as we have navigated the many challenges brought on by the pandemic.

Please continue to monitor our UT Dallas COVID-19 website for updates on protocols and guidelines. We remain Comets United.

Sincerely,

Dr. Rafael Martín
Vice President and Chief of Staff