Mask Requirements, Daily Health Check, and Tracing

Dear Cal Lutheran Community,

Following a surge in local COVID cases, on August 20, 2021, Ventura County followed recent guidance from Los Angeles County by reimplementing a mask mandate for all indoor public spaces. The mask mandate replaced a mask recommendation issued by Ventura County on July 19, 2021.

Based on this surge and the updated mask guidance, Cal Lutheran is modifying or clarifying the following:

• Cal Lutheran masking requirements.
• Cal Lutheran requirements regarding completing the Daily Health Check and access to Cal Lutheran buildings.
• Cal Lutheran recommendations for location tracing and exposure notification.

Mask Requirement Starting Tuesday, August 24 (for all Cal Lutheran Campuses) – As of tomorrow, all individuals (regardless of vaccination status) who are accessing or using Cal Lutheran indoor facilities are required to be masked at all times unless the individual:

• Is actively eating and/or drinking at either their workspace or in a designated food service venue. (Individuals within classrooms, labs, or studios must step outside to eat or drink.)
• Is alone in a closed room or office.
• Is actively performing at a live event (additional guidance will be provided to those departments).

Access Control/Daily Health Check Requirement Starting Wednesday, August 25 - As of August 25, all academic buildings will be returned to access through card swipe only, and all members of the Cal Lutheran community will be required to complete the Daily Health Check in order to be granted access. This will affect the following buildings:

• Swenson Social Science Center
• Swenson Science Center
• Ahmanson Science Center
• D Building
• William Rolland Art Center
• Soiland Humanities Building
• Spies Bornemann Center for Education and Technology
• K Building
• Theater Building
• Zimmerman Building
• All off site campuses

California Notify Tracing System – Although Cal Lutheran Health Services and the County of Ventura are very active in performing tracing following positive cases, to assist in this potential process, all members of the Cal Lutheran community are strongly encouraged to activate “CA Notify” on their smartphone. CA Notify will notify individuals in the event they are exposed to an individual who has tested positive for COVID-19.

CA Notify is a free service that does not collect personal information. Instructions for activating CA Notify can be found here.

I expect these guidelines may change quickly based on County case status and overall vaccination status. 

Please contact me regarding any questions.

Ryan Van Ommeren
Director, Emergency Operations Center
Associate VP, Operations and Planning