Coronavirus (COVID-19) information and updates

Find the most recent COVID-19 Response Team memos below.

Links to important documents

COVID-19 guidelines at AMBS

Additional resources

Table of contents

Most recent COVID-19 Response Team memos

January 27, 2023

Dear AMBS learning community, 

We want to share some reminders from the AMBS Covid-19 Guidelines, which were recently updated and posted on the website. 

We have experienced an increase in Elkhart-area employees and students testing positive for COVID-19 in recent days. Elkhart County COVID-19 Community Level is currently medium. Please stay home if unwell, test regularly, and even if you test negative exercise caution by wearing a high quality mask if you have any minor cold symptoms or recent exposure. See more about isolation guidelines below.

All are asked to keep a high quality mask available when on campus. Masks remain optional unless the Elkhart County COVID-19 Community Level is rated as High. However, masks may be required in classrooms, other learning settings, chapel, or special events, if indicated by the instructor or event leader. Respect for others’ mask-wearing needs is appreciated.  

Other reminders:

  1. If you test positive, isolate for 5 days at home beginning the day of the positive test. If a fever persists, isolation will continue until fever-free for 24 hours without medication. Allow adequate rest for recovery; speak with your supervisor if you need counsel. If you have no symptoms or symptoms are resolving after 5 days, and if you have been fever-free without medication for 24 hours, you can leave isolation. You should continue to wear a quality mask on campus at all times for an additional 5 days.
  1. Please get the updated COVID booster shot if it’s been at least two months since your last dose. The updated “bivalent” booster is optimized to prevent the current variants and is proving to be highly effective. These are available locally. Contact your healthcare provider or pharmacy to see if they are offering the new booster shots, or visit ourshot.in.gov to find and register for a vaccination site locally. And, please consider getting your flu shot at the same time and same place!
  1. Having a good supply of COVID tests is also an important part of our strategy. Many insurance plans provide free individual home tests. Employees, if you are part of the AMBS health insurance plan, our pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts also provides free, at-home tests with your plan. See information at this link for how to order by mail or at the pharmacy counter. If you need a test, check at the reception desk. If you have a large supply of tests, donations are also welcome there so that we can continue to have them available. 

Thank you all for your care with communication and in prevention of spread of colds and other viruses, including COVID-19. 

Beverly Lapp, VP and Academic Dean
Deanna Risser, VP for Administration and CFO
On behalf of the Covid Response Team

November 28, 2022

Dear AMBS learning community, 

As we near the end of the semester, we are grateful for how well our campus community has continued to manage pandemic challenges. We know that more of us have tested positive in recent months, and that the holiday season is a time when more spread is happening. We appreciate the ongoing care taken to reduce spread of the virus by isolating as required and wearing a mask for at least five days after isolation ends. We continue to ask people to test regularly, to stay home if unwell, and to exercise caution by wearing a high quality mask if you have any minor cold symptoms or recent exposure. 

Please get the updated COVID booster shot if it’s been at least two months since your last dose. The updated “bivalent” booster is optimized to prevent the current variants and is proving to be highly effective. These are available locally. Contact your healthcare provider or pharmacy to see if they are offering the new booster shots, or visit ourshot.in.gov to find and register for a vaccination site locally. And, please consider getting your flu shot at the same time and same place!

Having a good supply of COVID tests is also an important part of our strategy. Many insurance plans provide free individual home tests. Employees, if you are part of AMBS’s health insurance, our pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts also provides free, at-home tests with your plan. See the information at this link for how to order by mail or at the pharmacy counter. 

If you need a test, Linsey has some at the reception desk. If you have a large supply of tests, donations are also welcome there so that we can continue to have them available. 

May we all feel encouraged to prioritize our health and the care of our communities at this time of high activity. 

Beverly Lapp, VP and Academic Dean
David Boshart, President
On behalf of the Covid Response Team

August 1, 2022

Dear AMBS Learning Community, 

As summer comes to a close, we are eager to have more activity on campus again. This also means it is time to communicate updated guidelines for the ongoing COVID-19 realities in our midst. Key expectations are noted in this memo, and are also posted on the website at 2022-2023 COVID-19 Guidelines.

Thank you for your careful reading of the information below. 

Vaccination requirements

Vaccination against COVID-19, including a booster, is required for all AMBS employees and for all AMBS students living and/or attending class on the Elkhart campus, whether regularly or for short-term intensive gatherings.  If you are in the US and have not yet been vaccinated or boosted, see your options at the CDC Vaccine Information and Planning site. 

Prevention and testing

  • Wearing a high-quality mask is proving to be highly effective in preventing exposure to COVID-19 for those who are at risk in general, and for all when in higher risk environments. All are strongly encouraged to wear masks strategically for prevention, such as in public spaces such as in-store shopping, travel environments, and any crowded indoor space. See more about on-campus mask requirements below. 
  • Self-monitor daily using the CDC Symptoms checklist. 
  • Do not come to campus if you have symptoms; if you test negative but have a fever, remain at home until you are fever-free for 24 hours without medication. 
  • If you have mild cold or allergy symptoms and are fever free and test negative, wear a properly-fitted mask when around others. 
  • Testing for COVID-19 is a key component of staying safe and minimizing spread. Test before and after travel, and anytime you are aware of exposure or have symptoms. See the CDC Testing for COVID-19 site for tips and resources, including free rapid tests. Rapid tests are also readily available in local pharmacies. Some rapid tests may be available at the AMBS Reception desk. 
  • If you or anyone in your household tests positive, follow the isolation and quarantine guidelines below. Prepare for a COVID-19 case by being familiar with the CDC Household Checklist.

Campus mask policies

  • Masks are optional on campus for those who are fully vaccinated/boosted, unless otherwise communicated. 
  • Masks may be required in classrooms, other learning settings, or special events, if indicated by the instructor or event leader. Members of the AMBS community are expected to wear their masks when instructed to do so.
  • Wear a properly-fitted mask on campus when experiencing mild cold-like symptoms, following times of travel, or other times of potential exposure. 
  • Have a mask with you at all times so you can wear it in high-traffic situations or when requested. 
  • In general when you meet with anyone in an indoor space who is wearing a mask, consider it an invitation to put on your own. 
  • For indoor chapels and because singing is common in our worship, masks will be required as the default unless communicated otherwise.

Isolation and quarantine protocols

In cases of exposure and/or a positive test, inform your supervisor or a member of the Return to Campus team, and follow these guidelines. See AMBS Guidelines for Exposure for more detail. 

  • If you test positive, isolate for 5 days at home beginning the day of the positive test. If a fever persists, isolation will continue until fever-free for 24 hours without medication.
  • If you were exposed to someone with COVID-19, and are fully vaccinated/boosted, wear a quality mask around others for 10 days.Test on day 5; if you are positive, begin isolation.
  • If you were exposed to someone with COVID-19 in your household, and if you are fully vaccinated/boosted, consult with a member of the COVID-19 Response Team.
  • If you were exposed to someone with COVID-19 (within or outside your household) and you are not fully vaccinated/boosted, quarantine for 5 days at home, followed by 5 days of wearing a quality mask around others. Test on day 5; if you receive a positive test, begin isolation. 

We are grateful for the cooperation of the AMBS community in navigating this public health crisis. May we continue to know and share the peace of Christ as we begin a new academic year together. 

The COVID-19 Response Team

David Boshart, Norm Cender, Beverly Lapp, Deanna Risser, and Mary Ann Weber

Mask Policy Update | March 2022

Public health data indicates that we have passed the recent surge in COVID-19 cases due to the omicron variant, and it appears that we are shifting from the pandemic phase of this virus to the endemic phase. Our campus is 100% vaccinated and nearly 100% boosted. Wearing a high-quality mask is proving to be highly effective in preventing exposure to COVID-19 for those who are at risk. With these factors in mind, and to more closely align with new CDC guidelines and the level of risk COVID-19 now presents, we are updating our campus mask policy. We encourage everyone to be aware of their own risks, particularly for those who are immunocompromised or unvaccinated.

  • Given that the vaccination rates in Elkhart County remain under 50%, we continue to recommend that all individuals — whether you are vaccinated or not — wear a mask in indoor public spaces when off-campus.
  • In general when you meet with anyone in an indoor space who is wearing a mask, consider it an invitation to put on your own. Having a mask with you at all times is a good idea.
  • Masks continue to be required in any on-campus space other than a personal office for anyone who is not fully vaccinated/boosted for COVID-19.
  • When the capacity of the space (including hallways) allows for physical distancing of four feet or more, masks are optional for fully vaccinated/boosted employees and students on campus, except when designated otherwise by a meeting facilitator or classroom instructor. 
  • In public spaces on campus everyone (students, employees, visitors) is encouraged to wear masks.
    • We define public spaces on campus as ones that include visitors to campus. For example, break time in the lounge with students and employees present is not a public space whereas a special break in the lounge that includes several visitors is considered a public space. The AMBS Library is generally not a public space unless there is an event; see further information from the library for specific guidelines. 
  • Masks are required for all in indoor chapels since these are sometimes public spaces and because singing typically takes place at regular intervals; chapel planners may announce otherwise for a chapel without singing and with sufficient physical distancing.
  • Masks are expected to be worn as people move through food or refreshment lines in campus spaces.
  • Events will have their own mask policies as indicated in event promotion and programs; during indoor singing at any AMBS event, masks are required until further notice.
  • Take extra precautions by wearing a mask when experiencing cold-like symptoms or when you are around others following times of travel, or other times of potential exposure. 

Expect updates to the policy if there are future surges that impact hospitalization capacity in our area or changes in other metrics.

July 28, 2020 – CARES Act

AMBS is required by the U.S. Department of Education to post the following information on our website:

$6,219 of funds for students and $6,219 of funds for the institution from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) Act were received and used by AMBS for student aid and technology in 2020. Less than 10 students received the student funds.

From the U.S. Department of Education: In preparing the 30-day Fund Report, institutions should use data suppression and other methodologies to comply with and protect the personally identifiable information from student education records, under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99). For example, the Department does not expect institutions to report information about a group of 10 or fewer students. For example, if the total number of eligible students, the total of number of students who received Emergency Financial Aid Grants, or the difference between the two numbers is less than 10, then the institution should not display the number of students or the amount of Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students on publicly available website(s) controlled by the institution.

Covid-19 FAQ

How will I know if campus is closed?

Check your AMBS email address frequently for updates.

What should students and employees do if I feel sick?

You are asked not come to campus if you or anyone in your household are experiencing flu-like symptoms. If you have symptoms (fever, chills, cough, sore throat, runny nose, body aches, headache, tiredness, diarrhea or vomiting) please do the following:

  • Limit your physical contact with others.
  • Remain home from class, work, and other public activities to limit the spread of infection. You should be fever-free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medication before returning to classes and work.
  • Contact a doctor or provider at the first sign of flu-like symptoms to potentially shorten the impact of the virus.
    • Students and employees who exhibit flu-like symptoms should immediately contact their regular health care provider.
    • Elkhart students can also contact Maple City Health Care Center in Goshen at 213 Middlebury St, Goshen. 574-534-3300. In case of an after-hours emergency, contact Andy Brubacher Kaethler (ext. 284 or 574-389-0810) and Janeen Bertsche Johnson (ext. 216 or 574-536-9386)
    • Employees should contact their supervisors.

How is cleaning and sanitization being handled on campus?

We ask all to practice preventative public health and hygiene measures and encourage social distancing as described by the World Health Organization. Additional sanitizer is available at various locations around campus. Our custodial team has increased attention to disinfecting public areas and especially commonly touched surfaces. We encourage keeping doors open when possible and other efforts to limit contact with common surfaces.