Faculty and staff at Penn State campuses where they are required to be vaccinated for COVID-19 can now upload their proof of vaccination online and are encouraged to do so as soon as possible.
All faculty and staff at Penn State locations where work is being conducted under federal contracts are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Dec. 8 under President Joe Biden’s recent executive order requiring vaccination for federal contractors, Penn State has determined.
In a move designed to limit the spread of COVID-19 on Penn State campuses, the union representing about 2,600 technical service employees, has agreed to follow University requirements for mask-wearing, regardless of vaccination status. The agreement goes into effect immediately.
Penn State is planning a phased return over the summer semester to a full on-campus learning environment for fall 2021. The University’s priorities continue to be the health and well-being of its students, faculty, staff and local communities, and the plans for expanded in-person classes have the flexibility built in to quickly respond to changing pandemic conditions, if necessary.
Penn State has updated its public COVID-19 dashboard with the University's on-demand testing and random testing results from tests administered during the period of Nov. 20 to 22, as well as new University testing results from the prior week. As of Nov. 23 at University Park, there are 348 active student cases, up from 318 at the last update on Nov. 20, and 4,462 students have completed their isolation period and are no longer active cases.
In preparation for the departure from campuses after in-person instruction ends on Nov. 20, Penn State has announced an aggressive fall departure plan offering all students COVID-19 testing, at no cost to students. Penn State is partnering with Vault Health for departure testing, which will be conducted either in person at predetermined testing sites on certain campuses or via self-administered test kits. Students can now book their appointment to receive an administered test or to pick up a self-test by using the Return Home Event on the Penn State Go App or by visiting virusinfo.3327e.com/departure-testing.
Following a three-month comprehensive planning process, Penn State officials have determined that the University can meet or exceed the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s guidelines for colleges and universities, and look forward to welcoming back faculty, staff and students to resume on-campus, in-person classes and other activities this fall in a limited fashion.
