COVID-19 booster shot requirement and Wildcat Wellness in January
Dear students,
Today, we provide important updates about the Winter Quarter that further our ongoing efforts to protect the Northwestern community from the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
Subject to limited exceptions, Northwestern will now require all students, faculty and staff to receive a COVID-19 vaccination booster shot by Sunday, Jan. 30, 2022, or 30 days after becoming eligible for a booster, whichever is later.
Additionally, we will shift all classes and co-curricular activities to remote modality from Jan. 1 through Jan. 17 as the campus observes Wildcat Wellness, though students are welcome to return to campus on the regular schedule. In-person classes and activities will resume at 8 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 18, after the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
The fast spread of the omicron variant and guidance from our medical experts have caused us to reconsider the plans we shared with you earlier this month. We announce these decisions today to provide you as much time as possible to plan for January. Some of the details have shifted from the guidance in prior announcements, so please read this message carefully.
Booster shot requirement
Subject to limited exceptions, students must obtain a COVID-19 vaccination booster by Sunday, Jan. 30, 2022, or 30 days after becoming eligible, whichever is later. mRNA boosters (Pfizer and Moderna) are strongly encouraged, and only boosters approved by the FDA are accepted.
We strongly recommend that all eligible students, faculty and staff who have not done so already obtain a booster shot over Winter Recess. Please attest to your booster and upload your documentation as soon as possible.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend boosters six months after completion of a Moderna or Pfizer vaccination and two months after Johnson & Johnson. COVID-19 boosters are currently available for free at most pharmacies, including Walgreens, CVS and Jewel-Osco.
Northwestern’s COVID-19 booster requirement does not apply to people who have previously received a non-temporary exception to Northwestern’s COVID-19 vaccination requirement, including those who have personal medical conditions or sincerely held religious beliefs that prevent them from being vaccinated. Please visit our Vaccine Booster webpage and Vaccination Requirement FAQs for more information.
Return testing for COVID-19
Students with symptoms of COVID-19 should delay their return to campus. All undergraduate and graduate students, regardless of vaccination status or the presence of symptoms, should take at-home COVID-19 tests 36 hours before travel and again upon returning to campus and submit the results. Tests will be available in Norris University Center from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 2 and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 3 through Jan. 7. Students living in residence halls will have tests available in their rooms when they return. To submit test results, click on “Report COVID-19 Test Results” at the link provided and follow the prompts.
Additionally, all undergraduate and graduate students who intend to be on campus are required to take two in-person tests during Wildcat Wellness—one each week. Students also are encouraged to regularly complete at-home COVID-19 tests following instructions in the test kit during the Wildcat Wellness period as an additional measure of safety. The Jacobs Center will be open for student testing from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 2. The Jacobs Center and Chicago testing centers will both offer extended hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, from Jan. 3 through Jan. 14.
Wildcat Wellness and remote classes
As we have in the past, Northwestern will again institute Wildcat Wellness for the first two weeks of January. During this period, all classes and co-curricular campus activities will be remote. This wellness period will enable students to settle back into our highly vaccinated community and allow the University to identify and address positive cases to minimize spread. We encourage students to avoid large indoor social gatherings.
From Jan. 1 through Jan. 17, all on-campus dining will be grab-and-go. Northwestern’s libraries will remain open with some alterations to regular hours and services. Northwestern’s labs also will remain open. Additional details on permissible activities during Wildcat Wellness are outlined on the Wildcat Wellness webpage.
After Wildcat Wellness concludes, all classes will revert to their designated modality. Individual students will not be able to continue to study remotely except in the case of approved exceptions through AccessibleNU.
Next steps
We updated Northwestern’s COVID-19 dashboard with the latest testing data earlier today. Due to the recent increase in positivity and today’s announcement about remote instruction, we have shifted the activity level to orange. Our next dashboard update will come Jan. 7 after our testing centers reopen from Winter Recess. We anticipate a number of positive cases following the holiday break and return to campus. Taking the steps to require booster shots and institute Wildcat Wellness is aimed at helping to facilitate a smooth resumption of in-person activity.
We ask all members of the Northwestern community to continue to be diligent about protecting their health and the health of those around them by wearing masks, limiting indoor gatherings, testing, monitoring their health symptoms and reporting their symptoms or positivity to the University. We will continue to track developments with COVID-19 and the omicron variant closely during Winter Recess and after our return in consultation with local health officials and our own infectious disease experts, and we will send further updates if necessary.
We thank you for your flexibility and understanding as we navigate these challenges and wish you a happy and restful Winter Recess. We look forward to welcoming you back to campus in the new year.
Sincerely,
Luke Figora
Vice President for Operations
Kathleen Hagerty
Provost and Professor
Julie Payne-Kirchmeier
Vice President for Student Affairs
Dear faculty and staff,
Today, we provide important updates about the Winter Quarter that further our ongoing efforts to protect the Northwestern community from the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
Subject to limited exceptions, Northwestern will now require all students, faculty and staff to receive a COVID-19 vaccination booster shot by Sunday, Jan. 30, 2022, or 30 days after becoming eligible for a booster, whichever is later.
Additionally, we will shift all classes and co-curricular activities to remote modality from Jan. 1 through Jan. 17 as the University observes Wildcat Wellness, though students are welcome to return to campus on the regular schedule. During these two weeks, managers may offer additional flexibility to faculty and staff for remote work if it meets operational needs. In-person classes and activities will resume at 8 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 18, after the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
The fast spread of the omicron variant and guidance from our medical experts have caused us to reconsider the plans we shared with you earlier this month. We announce these decisions today to provide you as much time as possible to plan for January. Some of the details have shifted from the guidance in prior announcements, so please read this message and review the webpages we link to carefully.
Booster shot requirement
Subject to limited exceptions, faculty and staff who work on campus must obtain a COVID-19 vaccination booster by Sunday, Jan. 30, 2022, or 30 days after becoming eligible for a booster, whichever is later. mRNA boosters (Pfizer and Moderna) are strongly encouraged, and only boosters approved by the FDA are accepted.
We strongly recommend that all eligible students, faculty and staff who have not done so already obtain a booster shot over Winter Recess. Please attest to your booster and upload your documentation as soon as possible. Faculty and staff who have recently uploaded proof of vaccination—even those who already had booster shots—should do so again via the booster form.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend boosters six months after completion of a Moderna or Pfizer vaccination and two months after Johnson & Johnson. COVID-19 boosters currently are available for free at most pharmacies, including Walgreens, CVS and Jewel-Osco.
Northwestern’s COVID-19 booster requirement does not apply to people who have previously received a non-temporary exception to Northwestern’s COVID-19 vaccination requirement, including those who have personal medical conditions or sincerely held religious beliefs that prevent them from being vaccinated. As appropriate, Northwestern will engage with union representatives to discuss applications of this requirement to union-represented employees. Please visit our Vaccine Booster webpage and Vaccination Requirement FAQs for more information.
Return testing for COVID-19
Faculty and staff are encouraged to take at-home COVID-19 tests over the Winter Recess and in conjunction with their return to campus in January. The Evanston and Chicago testing centers will both be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. tomorrow, Dec. 21, before closing for Winter Recess. Both will offer extended hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, from Jan. 3 through Jan. 14. The Jacobs Center in Evanston also will have a special opening from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 2, to accommodate returning students. If you test positive outside of Northwestern’s testing centers, please email covidcasemanagement@northwestern.edu or upload your positive test result through the online portal.
All undergraduate and graduate students, regardless of their vaccination status or presence of symptoms, are asked to take at-home COVID-19 tests 36 hours before travel and again upon returning to campus and submit the result. Additionally, all students who intend to be on campus are required to take two in-person tests during Wildcat Wellness—one each week. Students also are encouraged to regularly complete at-home COVID-19 tests following instructions in the test kit during the Wildcat Wellness period as an additional measure of safety.
Wildcat Wellness and remote classes
As we have in the past, Northwestern will again institute Wildcat Wellness for the first two weeks of January with the first day of in-person classes on Tuesday, Jan. 18. During this period, all classes and co-curricular campus activities will be remote. This wellness period will enable students to settle back into our highly vaccinated community and allow the University to identify and address positive cases to minimize spread. We encourage faculty and staff to avoid large indoor social gatherings and conduct meetings remotely.
Campus will remain open during Wildcat Wellness. Those whose duties require them to be on campus should work in person. Managers may offer additional flexibility for remote work if it meets operational needs during this time. Northwestern’s libraries will remain open with some alterations to regular hours and services. Northwestern’s labs also will remain open, and on-campus dining will be grab-and-go. Additional details on permissible activities during Wildcat Wellness are outlined on the Wildcat Wellness webpage.
Teaching and Learning Technologies will soon send a message to instructors about resources to support remote instruction during Wildcat Wellness. After Wildcat Wellness concludes, all classes will revert to their designated modality. Individual students will not be able to continue to study remotely except in the case of approved exceptions through AccessibleNU. Instructors teaching an in-person class may still teach up to 10% of their remaining class sessions remotely. For more information about remote teaching, syllabus statements and more, please visit our Instructor FAQs on the University’s COVID-19 website. The Searle Center for Advancing Teaching and Learning provides additional resources for teaching during the pandemic.
Next steps
We updated Northwestern’s COVID-19 dashboard with the latest testing data earlier today. Due to the recent increase in positivity and today’s announcement about remote instruction, we have shifted the activity level to orange. Our next dashboard update will come Jan. 7 after our testing centers reopen from Winter Recess. We anticipate a number of positive cases following the holiday break and return to campus. Taking the steps to require booster shots and institute Wildcat Wellness is aimed at helping to facilitate a smooth resumption of in-person activity.
We ask all members of the Northwestern community to continue to be diligent about protecting their health and the health of those around them by wearing masks, limiting indoor gatherings, testing, monitoring their health symptoms and reporting their symptoms or positivity to the University. We will continue to track developments with COVID-19 and the omicron variant closely during Winter Recess and after our return in consultation with local health officials and our own infectious disease experts, and we will send further updates if necessary.
We thank you for your flexibility and understanding as we navigate these challenges and wish you a happy and restful Winter Recess. We look forward to welcoming you back to campus in the new year.
Sincerely,
Luke Figora
Vice President for Operations
Kathleen Hagerty
Provost and Professor
Priya Harjani
Interim Vice President for Human Resources