Notice

Updated: NOVEMBER 19, 2020 at 1:30pm PT

Dear NYFA LA,

We hope you are doing well as the Fall Semester continues and the weather turns cooler in Los Angeles. We continue to encourage you to review the NYFA COVID-19 Health and Campus Guidelines and Information and archived communications to the LA Campus, which are regularly updated on the NYFA Student HUB. 

If you have any questions about the information in this LA Campus Update, please email RemoteLearningLA@nyfa.edu. 

This LA Campus Update contains important information including:

• LA County and Fall Semester Updates

• Production Workshops and Off-Site Student Production

• Spring Semester Updates

• Travel and Health Guidance for the Holiday Season

• Flu Shots

LA County and Fall Semester Updates

NYFA LA attended another telebriefing on Thursday with the LA County Department of Public Health.  It is very unlikely that LA County will give higher education institutions permission to resume in-person classes for the remainder of Fall Semester.  

Therefore, NYFA LA will not be scheduling any in-person classes that can occur on campus for the remainder of Fall Semester.  However, NYFA LA is permitted to allow off-campus productions and off-campus production workshops.  Off-campus productions and off-campus production workshops will continue as long as they are permitted and as long as it is safe to do so.

The State of California and LA County regularly update ordinances and guidance about health and safety.  You are encouraged to check these websites for the most up-to-date guidance and information.

• State of California COVID-19 Updates

• LA County COVID-19 Guidances

Production Workshops and Off-Site Student Productions

Despite NYFA LA not resuming in-person classes for the Fall Semester, off-site productions are still allowed.  Several students have safely participated in off-site production workshops in Griffith Park and off-site individual student productions. 

• If your section is scheduled for an off-site production workshop, you will be notified in advance by your department chair so that you can complete the NYFA COVID-19 safety expectations as detailed in the COVID Safety Plan and in the Updated NYFA LA Production Guidelines. 

• As with any class, students who choose not to or cannot physically attend these productions in person will be able to Zoom into the production as it takes place.  

• LA County COVID-19 Guidances are continuously updated.  Students greenlit for off-site productions should confirm they are not violating recent changes to LA County guidelines.

Spring Semester Updates

• At this time, NYFA LA expects the Spring 2021 semester to be a hybrid of in-person and remote learning.  However, at this time, NYFA LA has not been given permission from LA County to resume in-person instruction on campus.  

  • If LA County gives NYFA LA permission to resume in-person instruction, based on State of California Higher Education Guidance including infection rates and positivity rates, NYFA LA will only schedule in-person classes after we determine we can do so safely, in consultation with NYFA’s medical consultant, Dr. Peter Bloland, formerly of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

• NYFA LA will continue to allow off-campus productions and off-campus production workshops for hands-on experience during Spring Semester, as long as Film LA and LA County are permitting productions.

• Students should make decisions about travel and housing that are most comfortable for them, knowing that we will accommodate students for in-person or remote learning. 

• Students unable to attend in-person classes can attend Spring semester classes remotely. 

• Students planning to attend classes in-person must arrive in Los Angeles 14 days before attending their first in person class, to allow for testing and self-quarantine.  

  • NYFA LA anticipates that the first in-person class will be January 19, 2021, so students are advised to arrive in Los Angeles no later than January 4, 2021. Students who arrive after January 4th must quarantine 14 days before attending their first in-person class.

• New Fall 2020 F1 visa students must take in-person classes IF they are offered. For questions about your visa status, please contact the International Student Office at lainternational@nyfa.edu.

Travel and Health Guidance for the Holiday Season:

NYFA will be closed on Thursday and Friday (November 26 & 27) for the Thanksgiving holiday.  The CDC has shared guidance for celebrating Thanksgiving safely.  

NYFA strongly discourages all nonessential travel per recommendations from the CDC. This includes a strong recommendation not to travel for the Thanksgiving holiday or during the December winter break. While we understand this may be disappointing or difficult for some, we must do all we can to protect ourselves, each other and our community. 

Anyone who MUST travel to either out-of-state or international locations, are encouraged to consult the State of California Travel Advisory, CDC Travel Advisory, and Table of Global Policies before finalizing plans. Anyone returning from travel during or after Fall Semester will be required to self-quarantine for 14 days before participating in in-person NYFA activities. 

Travel increases your chances of getting and spreading COVID-19. Your chances of getting COVID-19 while traveling also depend on whether you and those around you take steps to protect yourself and others, such as wearing masks and staying 6 feet away from people outside your household. 

• Airports, bus stations, train stations, and rest stops are all places travelers can be exposed to the virus in the air and on surfaces. These are also places where it can be hard to keep your distance from others. 

• In general, the longer you are around a person with COVID-19, the more likely you are to get infected. 

Any international student planning to travel internationally, should contact the International Student Office at lainternational@nyfa.edu to get a travel signature and to discuss any possible travel restrictions.

Flu Shots

All NYFA students and employees are strongly encouraged to get vaccinated against the flu during Fall Semester, per public health departments’ directives.  

• LA County Public Health has information about locations where you can get vaccinated for free.

• Fewer people contracting the flu will prevent the overburden of hospitals and supply chains across the country. A combination of both viruses, or one after the other, may also negatively impact an individual’s health, respiratory health and overall ability to recover.

If you have any questions about the information in this LA Campus Update, please email RemoteLearningLA@nyfa.edu.

Regards,

Dan Mackler

CSO / SVP

Dean of NYFA Los Angeles