Humboldt County is facing a surge in Covid cases like much of the USA in the face of the Omicron variant. Case rates are higher than they’ve ever been. Hospitalizations for Covid in California are expected to peak at the end of February and we have very limited medical resources here that are already stretched thin in the local community. While we do have high rates of vaccination at HSU, we know that Omicron easily evades current vaccines putting us all at risk of getting Covid, and potentially long Covid. The wait to manage the forest until there’s a wildfire approach here is not okay. 

We want the administration at HSU to:

1. Delay the start of face-to-face instruction like many of the other CSUs and UCs have already done in California to help mitigate potential outbreaks on campus for a minimum of 2-3 weeks. This will prevent mass disruption to instruction like CalPoly SLO is currently seeing due to 800+ positive cases in the last week. We want in person instruction, when it is safe to do so. 

2. Require all students to be tested weekly regardless of vaccination status.

3. Follow CDC guidelines on ventilation. 

4. Require N95 masks for all students, faculty, and staff.

Please click here to send a pre-written letter to the HSU President.