Prescott Campus Chancellor’s Message for May 14: Phased Reopening Plan Begins

Dear Prescott Campus, 

Governor Ducey has announced that Arizona has reached certain milestones in reducing the spread of Covid-19.  Therefore, the Executive Order implemented on April 1 will be replaced by a “Stay Healthy, Return Smarter, Return Stronger” plan, effective Saturday, May 16, 2020 at 12:00 a.m. 

The new executive order promotes physical distancing while allowing businesses to open if they follow federal guidelines so as to mitigate the spread of Covid-19.

What does that mean for us at ERAU-Prescott? 

We will continue our “crawl, walk, run” approach toward reopening campus, per President Butler’s earlier message. That will include resuming phased flight training and a limited number of students moving back into the residential halls. Housing capacity will be limited by a one-person-per-bathroom rule during the summer.  

Per the governor’s order, we will continue to encourage faculty and staff to work from home when possible. However, as we make progress in restarting campus, an increased campus presence of staff will be required. If you are a staff member currently working from home, please check with your supervisor for instructions. Faculty can continue to visit campus as needed in support of their teaching.  

Anyone on campus must be pre-screened and meet the wellness criteria. Individuals returning to the local area from Covid-19 “hotspots” will be required to quarantine for 14 days before returning to campus and flight operations. 

Cloth face coverings as well as visible Eagle Cards will remain mandatory for all students, faculty, staff and visitors, indoors and outdoors, whenever you are in common areas on campus. Physical-distancing guidelines – six feet of separation – will be enforced. We continue to ramp up disinfection procedures and protective barriers support for no-contact interactions. In addition, we are continuing our daily temperature checks. These are required for everyone on campus – no exceptions – including flight line. 

The following key dates were communicated earlier but I will repeat them here for your convenience:  

• May 16: Flight training will resume. A prioritization system is being used in scheduling, to ensure that we address each student’s needs directly. 
• June 30: Embry-Riddle plans to resume low-density classes in time for the Summer B term, beginning on June 30. We are limiting classroom capacity to allow for physical distancing. We will also optimize class schedules to prevent large groups from congregating in common spaces. As elsewhere, faculty, staff and students will wear face coverings as well as visible ID badges in classrooms. 

Do not return to campus if you are sick, or if you have been in contact with someone who is sick, on a cruise, or in any Covid-19 hotspot. In such cases, you must isolate for 14 days before returning to Embry-Riddle.

Anette M. Karlsson, Ph.D.