MU to stop self-reporting of coronavirus cases
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The University of Missouri will stop asking workers and students to report their positive coronavirus test results, according to an email sent campus-wide Monday.
The email from campus Incident Command says the landscape has evolved with vaccination and testing more available and changes in guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"At this point, faculty and staff members are expected to manage their own personal health regarding COVID as they do for other contagious illnesses. We encourage everyone to follow the latest guidance on the CDC website," Incident Command leaders wrote in the message.
Among the changes is the suspension of self-reporting of coronavirus cases. Time-off and vaccination policies are not changing, the message says.
MU also says it has changed its data-tracking dashboard to a COVID-19 information page. But the university said it will change its approach again if circumstances change.
Coronavirus cases have dropped sharply since the omicron surge in the winter. Though some areas of the country are starting to see more cases, a nationwide wave has not materialized. Cases in Boone County have increased this month from the early spring doldrums but remain well below winter's record-setting levels.
Hospitalizations also remain low. It's not clear how many students had coronavirus infections at MU during the spring semester -- daily totals were no longer posted after a change in how the local health department posts its data.
