Portions of Dec. 16, 2021 update from President Gregory Fenves:

The university has been closely monitoring increases in COVID-19 cases and the spread of the Omicron variant, as well as guidance from the CDC and public health experts. Vaccines are the most powerful tool to protect the health of our community against COVID-19, and recent scientific data overwhelmingly supports the effectiveness of booster shots.

With the continued spread of COVID-19 across the nation and the emerging Omicron variant, all Emory University students, faculty, and staff will now be required to receive a booster dose of a COVID-19 vaccine for the 2022 spring semester. The deadline to get your booster is Wednesday, January 19.

Students: Starting Monday, December 20, all Atlanta and Oxford students can upload booster documentation into the Student Health Services Portal.

Faculty and Staff: Starting Thursday, January 6, all faculty and staff members can complete an online form on Emory Forward attesting to their booster status.

• Booster locations and relevant information can be found at Vaccines.gov.
• The deadline to get boosted and verify COVID-19 booster status is Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022. Those not eligible for the booster, per CDC guidelines, by Jan. 19 must get boosted within two weeks of becoming eligible.
• Approved COVID-19 vaccination exemptions will be extended for the COVID-19 booster; there is no need to reapply if you have already received an approved exemption.
• Students, faculty, or staff members with an approved exemption are required to conduct a weekly screening test.

More information on vaccine booster requirements are available on the Emory Forward website.

Members of the School of Nursing community are also reminded that: 

• Off-campus transmission is the primary source of recent infection
• More than 97 percent of students, faculty, and staff at Emory are currently vaccinated
• Indoor dining is prohibited for events and gatherings
• Eating and drinking is not allowed in class, but masks can be lowered briefly for sip
• Masks are required to be worn indoors

On Sept. 2, the university announced updates to several policies affecting on-campus gatherings, dining, and ongoing testing. Highlights include:

• Outdoor dining is highly encouraged. Tents and tables are being installed across campus
• Indoor dining is prohibited for events and gatherings. Food served at an event should be individually boxed for participants to take and eat in a more appropriate space
• Masks are encouraged at outdoor events regardless of vaccination status
• Eating and drinking is not allowed in classrooms. Lowering masks for a moment to sip from a water bottle or other container is allowed, but should be closely monitored

It can be confusing keeping up with so many changes and policies, so please take a moment to review the Emory Forward website and COVID-19 Dashboard in detail. Simply put, you should follow one of these processes when it comes to illness or exposure:

If you test positive for COVID-19

• Contact your supervisor
• Contact your teaching backup (faculty only)
• Follow additional steps for contact tracing and other directions

If you are exposed to a known COVID-19 case

If vaccinated WITHOUT symptoms:

• Call the Contact Tracing line at 404-727-6190

If vaccinated WITH symptoms:

• Contact your supervisor
• Contact your teaching backup (faculty only)
• Follow additional steps for contact tracing and other directions

If unvaccinated WITH OR WITHOUT symptoms:

• Contact your supervisor
• Contact your teaching backup (faculty only)
• Follow additional steps for contact tracing and other directions

If a student reports their illness to you, please take the following steps:

• Notify the student they must report their illness through the Student Health Portal
• Submit a Student of Concern Form and check “Yes” for the “Student in Isolation/Quarantine” option. This will route the form to your school’s academic liaison, who will follow up with the student directly
• If the student has urgent symptoms or questions after hours or over the weekend, they should contact Student Health Services at 404-727-7551 and press “0” for the medical call center
• In order to protect the privacy of the student, do not inform your class/students that a student has tested positive or is in isolation/quarantine. In many cases, instructors will not be considered close contacts.

Quick Reference Guides

• Guide for Off-Campus Students (PDF)
• Faculty/Staff Who Learn of COVID+ Student (PDF)

When members of the Emory community are ill, we want to support them. Due to high rates of vaccination, very few Emory faculty, staff, and students are developing COVID19 symptoms. As we are dealing with the pandemic, we are also concerned for our personal health and the wellbeing of other family members and those living in our homes. The following information outlines how (and by whom) faculty and instructors will be notified when a student in his/her/their class is ill.

• Faculty will be informed about COVID19+ cases in their classrooms through multiple channels, when necessary
• When a COVID19+ student is relocated to isolation housing or is advised to shelter in place (if living off-campus), the school or college will support communication with their instructors and faculty to arrange for academic support for the student in consultation with the Office of Education
• If and when an instructor is identified as a close contact of a COVID19+ student, the contact tracing team will reach out to the instructor with more information about recommended next steps based on the health status of the student (infectious period, attendance, etc.) and the health status of the instructor and other household members
• In the event that a possible cluster of COVID19+ students is identified in a class, the school or college risk mitigation lead will be contacted by the cluster investigation team, and the risk mitigation lead will reach out to the instructor for more information and deliberation about whether suspension or relocation of instruction might be warranted

Instructors do not need to move in-person classes to online teaching if a student tests positive. However, if a significant number of students test positive, and it is pedagogically appropriate to move instruction online, you may do so temporarily in consultation with the Office of Education.

Continue to teach in-person as long as you do not develop symptoms of COVID-19 or receive a positive COVID-19 test result. If you have symptoms of COVID-19, stay home, inform your supervisor and your teaching backup and contact the COVID-19 Nurse Line at 404-712-6843 to receive further instructions. You must not teach in person if you have symptoms, but you may teach your class remotely if you are well enough to do so. Plan this in consultation with the Office of Education.