No COVID Vaccine Mandate At County College Of Morris

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — With the campus currently closed for winter break, County College of Morris released its Pandemic Response Plan on Wednesday, which gives students and staff the option to get fully vaccinated or take a weekly PCR test.

The Pandemic Response Plan outlines that students and staff need to provide to the school either a record of being fully vaccinated, submit weekly PCR test results or apply for a vaccine waiver then take weekly PCR tests and provide the results.

Students who have a fully online course schedule don’t need to “present any documentation but should note that they will not be permitted in any college building without having opted for one of the choices,” the plan states.

Regardless of vaccination status, students and staff who are on campus, if they begin experiencing or showing signs of COVID symptoms, “will be asked to leave immediately and will be urged to notify their healthcare provider,” according to the plan.

If they can’t immediately leave, they “will be asked to isolate in a restricted private space within the Office of Health Services” until they are able to.

Students who can’t come to class in person because of COVID may be able to catch up by live streamed courses, lecture recordings and other ways that the professor can provide.

When heading into buildings on campus, students and staff need to be masked, regardless of vaccination status, though masks can be taken off if working in an office space alone. The person must put their mask back on if someone comes into their office. Mask breaks are allowed when students and staff can socially distance outside, with breaks encouraged outside except when six feet apart from other people.

Staff can seek medical mask exemptions and will need to go through an approval process.

Other Aspects of the Plan

• The plan states because COVID is “unpredictable and unprecedented,” students and staff “should be prepared to pivot to an off-campus working/learning environment with little notice if state mandates or campus conditions require such action.”
• Plant and Maintenance Staff will handle sanitizing tasks each day on campus, with employees taking care of their workspaces.
• Hand sanitizers and tabletop sanitizers will be throughout the campus, with air hand dryers in restrooms.
• HVAC ventilation and air conditioning systems were upgraded in 2020 and Ultraviolet disinfection systems put into place on campus.
• There are no screening or check-in points, with campus doors kept open, though students and staff aren’t allowed to enter the buildings unless they have an ID.
• Professors are being asked to maintain their CCM Blackboard page for their course, minimally with the syllabus and student grades.

See full details of the Pandemic Plan here.

Upcoming Testing, Vaccine Clinics For Students And Staff

Students can get tested on campus at a walk-in clinic by nasal or PCR tests in the Student Center, through LabQ, with the testing center closed through Jan. 10. It’s regularly open Mondays, 8:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m., Tuesdays 2:15-6:45 p.m. and Wednesdays, 8:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m.

See more information about testing here.

A vaccine and booster clinic, with all the shots including Moderna, Pfizer and J&J, is planned on Wednesday, Jan. 19 from 2 to 7 p.m. Click here for more information about the clinic.

Stay tuned to CCMs COVID-related updates at www.ccm.edu/covid-19-information-center.

Questions or comments about this story? Have a news tip? Contact me at: jennifer.miller@patch.com