Dear KAUST Community
I want to talk with you about the pandemic situation at KAUST. If you haven’t done it yet, I urge you to read the announcement that I sent out on June 1st.We’ve come a long way and we’ve done relatively well with a relatively low number of cases. We’ve had no serious health conditions and we’ve had high rates of vaccination.
The KC3 has worked tirelessly to set up the foundation that we know as the Keeping KAUST Safe guidelines. But in truth, much of our safety has been the result of your actions as members of this community. I know this has felt never-ending. Places around the globe are opening up, but other places are seeing new waves. The pandemic is far from over and this is no time for complacency. The school year is coming to an end and there is a general sense of relaxed restrictions. Many of you are excited to travel to see the friends and family you haven’t seen for a long time. And there are bright spots here on campus.
You might not know, for example, that our community is at a 90% rate of vaccination, and our service providers are at a 93% rate. But the vast majority of these people are still in their first dose, so we still have a way to go. And if you’ve been watching the COVID-19 dashboard, and following our announcements, you will also know that we’ve had a sizable increase in cases over the last week or so. I share this with you because we need you to redouble your efforts before the much anticipated summer period, and you need to do it now. Each of us needs to remain vigilant during this interim period as we await full immunity. Unfortunately, over the past week, as cases have gone up in KAUST, we’ve seen significant violations of the Keeping KAUST Safe guidelines. These breaches have caused unnecessary exposures and significant disruption. If we fail to change course, if we fail to come together around one set of rules now, all of our plans to travel to see friends and family this summer will be in jeopardy. Not to mention the public and personal health risks. That is why the University leadership team is determined to take action against those who do not follow the guidelines.
Disciplinary action has already been taken against recent violators and we will have no choice but to go further if required to ensure that KAUST remains a safe place for everyone. We will continue taking decisive action, to close operations and to scale back services as needed, to prevent the spread. And I can’t emphasize enough, it is up to you to keep this from happening. So, here are five things I need you to do.
- Get tested next week in the monthly MoH testing program from June 6-10. This will help us determine the true prevalence of COVID-19 in our community to see what additional actions need to be taken, if any.
- Wear your face covering where needed. I know this can be difficult, especially for longer periods of time, but the science is clear that face coverings reduce the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
- Practice physical distancing. Think about how far you are from others, particularly when you are eating and drinking and have your face covering off.
- Get your second dose of the vaccine when it is available.
- Talk to your friends, families, and colleagues about how important these steps are. Help us spread the word to maintain a strong safety culture.
We’ve come a long way and we’ve navigated this global pandemic with considerable success. So, let’s work together from today and make a concerted effort across every aspect of life to reassert and re-establish the safety measures that have helped keep KAUST safe.As a leadership team, we promise you that we will stay vigilant and take whatever actions are necessary, but we can’t do it alone. This must be a collective effort. Everyone must take this seriously.Please consider your own behavior and those of your family over the coming days and ensure that you are following the guidelines that are essential to controlling COVID-19.
Thank you and please stay safe
Tony F. Chan
KAUST President
