#HealthyAtOCTC

Latest Update

August 6, 2021

• Masks required in all OCTC buildings
• No Capacity Restrictions in buildings
• Protocols will be updated as needed

June 4, 2021

Through June 10 

• 70% Capacity in Buildings
• Healthy Check-In and screenings no longer required
• Vaccinated people do not have to wear a mask, inside or out, no social distancing required
• Unvaccinated people should wear their masks in all areas, and social distance from others
• Summer term classrooms will be distanced to 3 ft per current guidelines

Beginning June 11 

• 100% Capacity for all OCTC Buildings
• Classrooms at normal capacities
• COVID Signage removed except for preventative hygiene reminders and vaccine encouragement
• Don’t come to campus when sick
• Wash your hands
• Cover your cough
• Encourage COVID and flu vaccines
• All OCTC employees must continue to report any positive cases or association with any positive cases to Jeff Hendricks ((270)316-1660, jeff.hendricks@kctcs.edu). Vaccinated people should monitor for symptoms if a direct contact and quarantine only if testing positive; Unvaccinated
• people testing positive or with direct exposure will be required to quarantine.
• Summer classrooms and general spaces in use will be sanitized in the evening; schedules will be adjusted as the current health protocols require for the fall.
• Disinfecting wipes are available in classroom and lab areas to wipe down surfaces after use; please notify healthy ambassadors or dorrita.ashley@kctcs.edu when additional supplies are needed.
• Wall-mounted hand sanitizers available in locations around buildings, please notify healthy ambassadors or dorrita.ashley@kctcs.edu when additional supplies are needed.
  Campus is open for events and to the general public
• Main entrances open at DT (front and back) and SE (upper level only) campuses. Lakeside doors on Main Campus will remain secured for the summer.
• Due to frequency of usage all the Campus Center doors will be accessible.
  If you feel uncomfortable being around others you may continue to wear a mask and practice social distancing.
• Be kind. All these changes bring additional stress and anxiety for all. If you need help, please let your advisor, a faculty member or a supervisor know.

May 19, 2021

Last week the CDC issued new COVID 19 guidance for fully inoculated individuals and in a statement responding to the CDC guidance around fully vaccinated people and masks, Governor Beshear stated that Kentucky would immediately follow that guidance. On, May 14, the Governor posted an amended Executive Order to clarify how Kentucky’s mask mandate will be lifted. The amendment balances the CDC guidelines with public safety and the need and hope that more Kentuckians will soon become vaccinated. This hope is rooted in expanded access to the vaccine now available to pre-teens and teens. 

In that vein, I encourage all who are not currently vaccinated to seek vaccinations. Additionally, I ask that everyone continues to use preventative measures to prohibit the spread of the coronavirus and all infectious diseases. Continue to observe good hygiene: wash your hands, cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze, and don’t come to campus if you are feeling ill. That said, effective immediately, please note the following changes to our Healthy at OCTC protocols:

Fully vaccinated employees, students, and visitors no longer need to wear masks in any area except as stated in the Governor’s amended order. The order permits fully vaccinated individuals to go maskless immediately, while those who have not yet obtained a vaccine should continue to wear masks until June 11. 

Please be kind and be honest. If you are not vaccinated, wear your mask until you are. If you have opted out of the vaccine process, please consider continuing to wear your mask until the pandemic subsides. In all cases, however, you will not be responsible for wearing a mask after June 11.

For those who choose to continue to wear a mask, it is important to honor that choice and to provide everyone the courtesy of respect, just as they should respect others’ choice to go maskless whether vaccinated or not.

Additionally, it is good to provide social distance to everyone in our facilities. Continue to stand at a safe distance from people, particularly if they feel uncomfortable being close. Reconsider old customs such as shaking hands or eating communal dishes.

Follow the CDC guidelines to stay safe and to keep others safe. You can find them here:  When You’ve Been Fully Vaccinated | CDC and Fully Vaccinated Guidance | CDC.