Category COVID-19 campus response
October survey seeks employee input in spring plans
The survey asks how the university can support faculty and staff, whether they are already working on-site or will be at some future time. The survey also requests input on improvements in the campus response to COVID-19.
University Housing: Thanksgiving and end of semester planning
We will be asking you in early November to state your plans for Thanksgiving and the end of the semester through our My UW Housing portal. If you leave Madison for Thanksgiving and choose to return to finish the semester, you will return to your weekly testing schedule. If you are returning from out of town, you may be asked to take a test before your usual scheduled time. Please self-isolate post-Thanksgiving until you have a confirmed negative test.
Reesor: Planning for Thanksgiving and beyond
The following message was sent to UW–Madison undergraduate students by Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Lori Reesor. Separate guidance will be shared with graduate students.
Additional changes coming for UW season opener
Given the significant increase of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations across Wisconsin, UW–Madison is taking new steps to limit attendance and game day activity around Badgers football.
Proven treatments and new methods crucial to fighting COVID-19
UW Health clinicians are using current respiratory treatments and are working with the School of Medicine and Public Health on several novel therapies.
Chancellor Blank statement on Dane County Board of Supervisors
Chancellor Rebecca Blank issued the following statement Thursday, following the passage of a Dane County Board of Supervisors resolution calling for the university to move…
Update on Payroll Tax Deferral Program
UW–Madison, along with the other UW System institutions and the State of Wisconsin, will not be implementing this option.
UW–Madison partners with state and federal public health agencies on COVID-19
The UW, the CDC and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services are working together to better understand COVID-19 on college campuses, build upon knowledge about the virus that causes the disease, and contribute to improved local, state and national response to the pandemic.
COVID Questions: Cold weather precautions; recovery time; future of work-at-home
"These precautions may not feel extra special if you have been doing them all along. But complacency can easily set in after a summer of being outdoors and recent surges are evidence of that," says Associate Professor Ajay Sethi.
Fitter increases the benefits of wearing a mask during the COVID-19 pandemic
A team of UW–Madison engineers has developed a simple and inexpensive do-it-yourself fitter that ensures a tighter mask seal around the wearer’s nose, mouth and face.
Campus to resume some in-person activities, maintain strict health measures
"These and other efforts can allow us to complete this semester without further interruptions, if they are combined with serious attention to health protocols both on-campus and off-campus," says Chancellor Rebecca Blank.
Chancellor Blank to County Executive: Partner with us in enforcing safe behavior off-campus
"We know gatherings can lead to the spread of COVID-19 but UW–Madison does not have jurisdiction to shut down gatherings in off campus areas. Until those agencies with enforcement authority take additional action, we shouldn’t expect to see a rapid decline in cases in Dane County. We call on the County Executive’s Office to step forward and become a partner in promoting and enforcing safe behavior in of-campus spaces."
Message to students: COVID-19 clarifications and reminders
"The University continues to evaluate the data and will make more decisions about campus operations next week. A lot will depend on how things go these next several days," says Dean of Students Christina Olstad. "The most important thing you can do to keep our positive numbers down is to physically distance from people other than your roommates or immediate family and to always wear a face covering."
Tuition refund deadline extended for students impacted by COVID-19
For students negatively impacted by COVID-19 and who choose to completely withdraw from the semester, a full tuition refund will be possible for one additional week, to Friday, Sept. 18.
Spring academic calendar changed
The updated calendar includes a long weekend from Friday, April 2, through Sunday, April 4. Under the previous calendar, spring break had been scheduled for March 27 through April 3.
Chancellor Blank: Update on COVID-19 response
“We must bring our daily case totals down and we are taking aggressive action to do that,” the chancellor says. Testing will be increased and more contact tracers will be added.
University shifts to two weeks of remote instruction, quarantines two residence halls
All in-person undergraduate, graduate and professional school group instruction will be paused from Sept. 10 – 25. These classes will be cancelled Thursday, Sept. 10 – Saturday, Sept. 12 and will resume remotely beginning Monday, Sept. 14 for at least two weeks.
Enhanced health and safety protocols for employees
Due to a rise in COVID-19 cases in the campus community, Chancellor Blank announced a 14-day emphasis on health and safety protocols. While many of the temporary restrictions were aimed at curbing behaviors of undergraduate students, some also apply to UW–Madison employees in an effort to protect the health and safety of everyone in our campus community.
Waisman Biomanufacturing partners with GigaGen to manufacture new COVID-19 drug
The drug, called GIGA-2050, uses a new approach similar to treating COVID-19 patients with convalescent plasma.
Everybody poops, some shed the virus that causes COVID-19. Wisconsin’s wastewater surveillance is looking for it.
Detecting and measuring how much virus is in wastewater is may provide an early warning signal that cases of COVID-19 may soon rise and provide a readout of how levels of virus change in a population over time.