Clarification of Purple Tier Impact on Employees and State Curfew

Sent: November 20, 2020
From: Joanne Wright, Senior Associate Vice President, University Personnel and Traci Ferdolage, Senior Associate Vice President, Facilities Development and Operations

SJSU campus community,

On Monday, November 16, President Papazian described how the move to the purple tier of California’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy impacts our campus operations. It is important to clarify that specific activities which were not permissible during the Shelter-in-Place order issued in March, such as Athletics programs and limited in-person classes, are now permissible due to government public health agencies developing guidance specific to higher education.

SJSU has and will continue to operate under the guidelines issued by the state and Santa Clara County, and has enacted several measures to protect our community’s health and safety. Unless otherwise notified, current operations will continue.

As a reminder, only those employees instructed to report to campus by their supervisors are authorized to perform work on campus. For those employees who may need to come to campus on a one-time or occasional basis, the COVID-19 Return to Campus Request must be completed and approved prior to coming to campus. The request must be submitted with as much advance notice as possible so that the University Police Department and our facilities team can ensure appropriate safety, cleaning, and maintenance protocols are in place.  

Before any visit to campus, employees are also requested to use the SJSU COVID-19 Symptom Check Tool prior to arriving on campus. If you are sick, are experiencing COVID-19 related symptoms, or have been exposed to COVID-19, do not come to campus. Concerns about workplace environment safety can be directed to Matt Nymeyer, director of Environmental Health and Safety at (408) 924-1969 for further investigation.

State Curfew: Effective November 21 to December 21

On November 19, the Governor issued a limited Stay at Home order, requiring those who live in purple tier counties to stay home between 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. beginning Saturday, November 21, and continuing until December 21. This Stay at Home order does not apply to essential personnel who are coming to work to perform essential duties required to support continued operation of the campus and its programs. For individuals whose work requires you to be on campus during those hours, your manager will provide you with written verification of your essential status that you should keep with you while you are commuting to and from campus.

Anyone working on campus at any time must continue to adhere to campus safety requirements related to slowing the spread of COVID-19, including wearing face coverings, physical distancing and hygienic precautions, such as washing your hands frequently.  

We appreciate the dedication and continued service of all our staff and faculty during this challenging time. As a campus community, we are all part of a larger collective effort to minimize the spread of the virus. We were successful in flattening the curve back in the spring, and we know that with everyone’s help, we can be successful again at protecting our families and friends.

Sincerely,

Joanne Wright

Senior Associate Vice President, University Personnel

Traci Ferdolage

Senior Associate Vice President, Facilities Development and Operations