Employee Message- November 3, 2021

McLennan Together logo

Good afternoon,

As we approach the holidays, we continue with protocols and enhancement to protocols to our COVID-19 response.  In March 2020, less than two years ago, we began our journey that has affected our work and home lives.  Many of us have had one of the vaccines, and I now have had my booster with very little side effects. I continue to encourage this kind of protection. 

Testing.  We also now have on-campus COVID rapid testing that is open to all employees and family members. As an employee, you will need to register your family member for the test.  I would encourage anyone that plans to travel to get tested before you go and 3-5 days after you return from your travel.  I have begun traveling and am very glad to have this test available.  For hours and additional information you can go to https://engage.mclennan.edu/portal/covid19_testing.

Vaccination Clinic.  Even though our community positivity rate for the last couple of weeks has stayed at, or below 5%, vaccinations are up and cases and deaths are down. I encourage everyone to get tested if you are sick. We are entering flu season and many of the symptoms are the same.   We are hosting a vaccination clinic on campus next week.

Frank Patterson has shared the following:  

If you have not gotten your vaccination, now is the time. Our focus is on employees, employee family members, students and student family members. However, everybody is welcome.

For more information about the boosters click on the link. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/booster-shot.html

Date: Thursday November 11, 2021

Location: MAC Commons

Time: 9AM-4:30PM

Registration: https://covidwaco.com/ Click the blue “VACCINE Appointment -or- WALK-IN” button.

Social Gatherings.  With the holiday seasons coming, there are many opportunities for social gatherings.  As departments and organizations plan for these important times together, we encourage you to continue to be safe and enjoy time together.

A few thoughts for in-person holiday functions with food or drink:

  • All attendees, including visitors, at indoor gatherings are encouraged to wear masks up to the point of eating or drinking.
  • Avoid overcrowding in rooms by following the seating capacity.
  • For reception-style events, it is a best practice to have the food at the end of the meeting/celebration and have it optional for people to take back to their work area.
  • If weather permits consider holding the gathering outdoors.

MCC Holiday Event.  We will not hold our traditional holiday gathering that we have had in December, but we are planning a special event for later this Spring.   While much progress has been made in the ability to safely participate in large gatherings, we decided to wait a bit longer to host this kind of event.  We discussed numerous possibilities and finally decided to wait a bit longer.

Travel.  As travel restrictions have begun to ease and as part of our plan to return to normal operations, we have decided to restore the approval processes for travel back to normal.  You may still want to discuss travel thoughts with the appropriate member of the Leadership Team since COVID is still impacting travel in many ways, but all travel does not require this level of approval moving forward.

Finally, I am thankful for each of you and your support as we continue to navigate toward more normal operations within safety guidance. 


Johnette E. McKown
President
McLennan Community College