Dear Cardinal Community, 

There is no doubt you have heard that cases of COVID-19 are dropping sharply in Ohio. With this positive news, we are talking with Franklin County Public Health (FCPH) officials about when we might be able to further loosen COVID restrictions and end our mask mandate on campus.  

At this time, FCPH still recommends masking due to county-wide statistics, so we are closely monitoring those weekly reports, which also have been trending sharply downward in recent weeks. While we continue to follow FCPH’s current guidance to require masks, we are hopeful their recommendation will change soon.  

Following the downward trend, the Protect the Nest Team is excited to share the news that there was only one new case of COVID-19 reported among students and employees during the week of Feb. 7-13! This is a major accomplishment that is all due to the efforts of our entire community.  

Thanks to you, we have had lower case counts and percentages than local, regional, and national trends since the very beginning of the pandemic. 

Thanks to you, our campus community has a vaccination rate of 97%, which accounts for religious and medical exemptions. 

Thanks to you, our campus community is safer and healthier. Your patience has been overwhelming, but we are all looking forward to a return to normal. 

We extend our sincere gratitude to all of you for demonstrating the care and compassion that makes Otterbein such a special place.  

We will keep you updated and look forward to sharing more positive news with you soon. 

With Cardinal Pride, 

The Protect the Nest Team