COVID-19 updates, requirements for the 2022-23 academic year
Dear Cornell Community,
We’re writing today to provide updates on current booster and surveillance testing policies, as well as advance notice of vaccination requirements for the Ithaca, Geneva and Cornell Tech campuses for the 2022-23 academic year. As of March 2022, over 96% of our campus community is fully vaccinated and 92% has received a booster. We appreciate this extraordinary commitment to the health and welfare of our community.
Vaccination requirements for the 2022-23 academic year
For the 2022-23 academic year, Cornell will continue to require that all students and employees be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or obtain a university-approved medical or religious exemption. An individual is considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving the full series of an FDA- or WHO-authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine (e.g., two doses of Pfizer or Moderna, or a single dose of Johnson & Johnson). Please visit Cornell Health for a full list of accepted COVID-19 vaccines. This requirement extends to temporary and casual employees, as well as to those who work fully or partially from a remote location.
Booster recommendations for students and employees
As we shift to a longer-term strategy for managing COVID-19, Cornell will no longer require, but rather will strongly recommend, that all students and employees stay up to date with all CDC recommended COVID-19 booster doses when eligible. Cornell will continue to monitor the benefits of boosters and may require them in the future.
Changes to surveillance testing
Effective Monday, April 11, students, faculty and staff who report to work or class on campus and are not fully vaccinated will only need to participate in surveillance testing once per week. If you are fully vaccinated, but not yet boosted, you are no longer required to test weekly. Testing will continue to be readily available for those who would like to opt in to regular testing, access supplemental testing or pick up antigen test kits for use following travel and other activities with increased risk of exposure. Testing site hours are listed on the COVID-19 website.
As noted above, while students and employees are no longer required to get boosted, we strongly encourage vaccinated individuals to consider receiving a booster when they are eligible. Students who will become eligible for a booster over the summer should consider getting one before returning to campus in the fall.
Thank you for your continued attention to these critical public health measures. Your efforts have enabled us to have a safe, productive academic year and we look forward to a strong finish to the spring semester.
Sincerely,
Mike Kotlikoff
Provost
Ryan Lombardi
Vice President for Student and Campus Life
Mary Opperman
Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer