Liberty University prioritizes both health and freedom as mitigation period concludes

On Friday, Liberty University informed students, faculty, and staff of the campus health and safety measures that will be in place to slow the spread of COVID-19 after the university’s two-week mitigation period ends today.

During the mitigation period, classes have been held online and large indoor gatherings suspended. Liberty is resuming classes and indoor gatherings in a balanced way that both allows members of the campus community to select the university experiences they desire and respects the rights and responsibilities of individuals to make basic health decisions about vaccination and mask usage themselves.

All residential classes will resume in-person on Monday, Sept. 13, as scheduled. Students and faculty are strongly encouraged to wear face coverings. The university will continue to offer a digital instruction option for students for a period of time; special permission to attend virtually will not be required during this time.

Weather permitting, Convocation and Campus Community will continue to be held outdoors at Williams Stadium. The university will operate at a 50% reduced capacity for indoor sports, recreation activities, and campus events with virtual streaming options available when possible. Takeout and outdoor dining options will continue, and a delivery mobile app has been introduced.  Details about these changes are available on Liberty’s COVID-19 Response website.

The university will still require quarantine for positive COVID-19 cases. The university will continue to encourage social hygiene practices such as physical distancing and mask-wearing where helpful.

Liberty showed its appreciation to members of the Liberty family for their cooperation during the last two weeks and asked them to be mindful of others as they study, work, and live as responsible community partners during this pandemic.

“Thank you for doing your part to mitigate the spread of this disease. This is a matter of personal responsibility, and we ask that you continue to take the right steps to protect yourself and others.

At Liberty University, we recognize we are part of a larger community that is generally pursuing life and business as usual without vaccine mandates, mask requirements, or attendance caps on events. We can’t imagine Liberty would make an important health difference locally by imposing campus restrictions and mandates on our people who also eat, shop, recreate, and work in the larger community. We are all in this together and will come through this pandemic as a community, sharing equally in sacrifices and burdens.

While we value personal liberty and resume in-person classes next week, let us individually be Christlike examples and good neighbors as we interact with those who may be more vulnerable in our community. We trust the Liberty family to proceed with love and respect.”

Liberty is carefully reviewing the details of new developments at the federal and state levels regarding vaccine and mask mandates and, as always, will make adjustments as required.