Latest communications

As we prepare to welcome our community back to campus next month, we wanted to reach out to share with you our plans for the fall semester at Washington University.

The university is reinstating its indoor mask requirement, effective immediately, in accordance with the city and county mandates that went into effect today. Masks are again required at indoor gatherings for everyone, regardless of vaccination status or the size of a meeting or gathering.

Due to promising initial estimates of vaccination rates among Danforth Campus faculty, staff and students, we are now able to lift the physical distancing requirement for fully vaccinated individuals in most spaces on the Danforth Campus.

With the aim of protecting our community and the patients we serve, and returning to full in-person teaching, learning, research and campus life in the fall, we will require all Washington University faculty, staff and trainees to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

In order to allow us enough time to prepare for any vaccination clinics that may be needed at the start of the semester, we are asking all students to provide documentation to verify that they have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by no later than July 15.

The COVID Monitoring Team has approved updated public health guidance for summer on the Danforth Campus. The policies apply to screening, masking and physical distancing, as well as events, visitors and travel.

The Danforth Campus alert level has moved from orange to yellow, in response to improving conditions on campus and in the St. Louis region.

At this time, based on recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and our local health departments, as well as the insight of our COVID Monitoring Team, we are making a number of updates to our campus protocols.

We expect most staff will be on campus in the fall, though schools and units may be able to leverage some hybrid and remote working arrangements under limited circumstances.

You’re probably wondering how updated guidance might affect Washington University’s Commencement ceremonies, which are planned for this month for the Classes of 2020 and 2021. We are making the following updates to the protocols that we had originally put in place for these events.