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Updated COVID protocol for all in-person gatherings

A new COVID-19 protocol is in place for all mission-critical, in-person, gatherings greater than 10 people or more.

The expectation for campus remains that all non-essential in-person gatherings of greater than 10 (i.e. 11 or more) people should be cancelled, postponed or held remotely. Sometimes it may take some re-imagining using the online tools at hand but the University of Utah campus community is innovative, creative, and thoughtful with unique challenges such as these.

It’s understood, however, that, occasionally, there are circumstances that present a mission-critical need to the institution to gather in-person. Due to the High Level of Transmission for COVID-19, exceptions to gather in-person should be rare and are strongly discouraged. If you believe you have a mission-aligned need to gather in-person, there is a new protocol to follow to ensure gatherings occur in the safest way possible. Please do not plan an in-person gathering without going through this review and approval process first.

Meetings for the purpose of research, scheduled instructional classes, and clinical care fall under a different process. Please review the full guidelines for more information.

These guidelines apply to any property owned, managed and/or occupied by the University of Utah, including properties owned, managed and/or occupied by University of Utah entities in Research Park and other off-campus locations.

READ THE FULL GUIDELINES HERE

Process for seeking approval under high level of transmission designation:

  • While Salt Lake County is designated as a High Level of Transmission for COVID-19 in this level, exceptions to gather should be rare and are strongly discouraged.
  • A meeting request application must be submitted a minimum of 14 days before the event using the COVID-19 Event Planning Form.
  • In-person gatherings of more than 10 people must be reviewed and approved by the University’s incident management team, which will make a recommendation to the Cognizant Vice President for final approval.
  • Deans, Directors, and/or Associate Vice Presidents should work collaboratively with the University’s incident management team to discuss safety and public health precautions for in-person gatherings of 10 people or fewer.

COMPLETE THE COVID-19 EVENT PLANNING FORM

The University of Utah COVID-19 Event Planning Form aids in the development of a detailed plan for in-person meetings and must be completed before any other steps are taken. Once submitted, the public health professionals on the U’s incident management team will review, provide recommendations, and may approve the request to gather in-person by making a recommendation to divisional and/or area leadership.

The event guidelines include general considerations, as well as specific guidance for the following: non-university organizations that seek to rent facilities; U hosts bringing guest onto campus including speakers, attendees, etc.; space reservation requirements; and student recruitment related events.

Keeping our community safe with this new public health guidance and event planning process is of the utmost importance. Thank you, for all the hard work and service to students being done to innovate and re-imagine all in-person gatherings during this time. It does not go unrecognized.

If you have any questions about this process, please contact covid19-event-planning@utah.edu