PRIORITIES & GUIDING PRINCIPLES
Our decisions continue to be informed by these foundational pillars:
- The safety, security and well-being of all people
- Commitment to our mission in support of education, research and patient care to improve lives in service of the greater good
- Our role as a strong community partner in the St. Louis region
- Uplifting the values of diversity, equity and inclusion
- Accountability and transparency
- Careful stewardship and sustainability of the university’s resources
PROTECTING OUR COMMUNITY’S HEALTH
Having a fully vaccinated community has allowed us to ease some of the restrictions that were in place during the early part of the pandemic. As always, we continue to monitor the evolving conditions of the pandemic, and we remain prepared to adjust our policies as the situation warrants.
Masking and physical distancing
Masking is strongly recommended in all Danforth Campus spaces. There is no limit on gathering sizes.
For more information, visit the Danforth Campus mask requirements page.
At this time, physical distancing is not required.
COVID-19 testing
We continue to provide testing for all students, faculty and staff who develop symptoms of COVID-19 at any time, as well as broader testing as needed for exposures to prevent spread within our community. At this time, entry testing will not be required for students at the start of the fall semester.
Individuals with even mild symptoms – including those who have been fully vaccinated – should be tested for COVID-19. Members of the university community are advised to call the COVID Call Center at 314-362-5056 to report symptoms or exposure and to arrange for a free test. Students can call the COVID Call Center or Habif Health and Wellness Center at 314-935-6666. It is extremely important that anyone with even mild symptoms should not come to class or work until they have been fully evaluated.
More information is available on the COVID-19 testing page.
COVID-19 vaccine
All students, faculty, staff and trainees are required to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Current employees and returning students who have already submitted proof of vaccination do not need to do anything further, but should provide documentation of their boosters when/if they receive them. New students and employees must provide documentation of their vaccination on the Habif Health and Wellness Center website or the ReadySet portal, respectively.
At this time, we are not requiring boosters, but may do so if conditions change. We strongly encourage everyone to be up to date with the COVID vaccine as recommended for them personally. Being up to date reduces the risk of severe disease and currently prevents the need to quarantine after exposure to COVID-19.
Vaccines are available on campus free of charge. For Danforth Campus students, Habif Health and Wellness Center has the Pfizer vaccine and appointments are available through the student portal on the Habif website. Employees and trainees can schedule an appointment at the Center for Advanced Medicine on the Medical Campus or visit vaccinatestl.org or vaccines.gov to find a location.
Additional information about the COVID-19 vaccine is available in the Vaccine FAQ.
Self-screening
All students, faculty, staff, trainees and visitors are encouraged to complete a daily self-screening for COVID-19 symptoms before coming to campus or leaving their on-campus residence each day of the spring semester. The screening tool is available at screening.wustl.edu.
Note: In addition to the symptoms listed in the screening tool, everyone also should pay attention to milder symptoms such as a new headache or a stuffy nose. These can also be signs of COVID-19. Call the COVID Call Center at 314-362-5056 to report even mild symptoms.
Contact tracing
In collaboration with Google, the university has launched a smartphone tool that allows students, faculty, staff and trainees to participate in a COVID-19 exposure notification system. All members of the university community are encouraged to use the MO/Notify system, which alerts users when they have had close contact with another user who has tested positive for COVID-19. Learn more about MO/Notify. Occupational Health and Habif will also continue with its regular contact tracing process.
ACADEMICS
Academic calendar
The full academic calendar is available online.
Delivery of instruction
Courses are being held predominantly in person. Modalities for specific courses can be found at courses.wustl.edu. Students who have symptoms of COVID-19 must call the COVID Call Center or Habif Health and Wellness Center for testing and should not attend any in-person class. Missing in-person class sessions for this reason will be considered an excused absence. Students may be asked to provide appropriate documentation based on course policy. In the case of discussion, studio, lab or other format courses, students should check their syllabus and/or discuss with their instructor what they should do in the event that they must miss class.
EVENTS & MEETINGS
- In-person social events and gatherings on the Danforth Campus and off-campus university-sponsored events are allowed.
- Masking is strongly encouraged in all Danforth Campus spaces. There is no limit on gathering sizes.
- For CFU- and Danforth Campus-sponsored events that are held off-campus, local/regional guidance will apply.
FACULTY & STAFF
Faculty, staff and trainees will continue to follow previously submitted school and unit plans for returning to campus. Any adjustments to submitted plans will be handled at the school or unit level. All students, faculty, staff and trainees must complete a self-screening before coming to campus each day. Anyone with even mild symptoms of COVID-19 should call the COVID Call Center at 314-362-5056 for guidance and to arrange for a free test.
HOUSING & DINING
Housing assignments
Students in Residential Life housing are assigned to single, double, triple or quad rooms per normal housing processes.
Isolation and quarantine housing
When necessary, the university will provide on-campus quarantine or isolation housing.
Residence hall visitors
Visitors are allowed in residence halls according to regular policy. Students may visit friends in other residence halls. Everyone must follow public health requirements as applicable. Non-university guests are allowed and encouraged to complete the visitor self-screening prior to their arrival. They must follow any current public health guidelines while on campus.
Dining
For a full list of hours and locations, visit the Dining Services website.
MONITORING & COMPLIANCE
COVID-19 dashboard
The university’s dashboard is no longer being updated. As our strategies for COVID-19 testing have evolved, particularly with the introduction of self-testing for students, we found that the data we had been sharing on the dashboard were no longer reflective of the actual number of cases on campus at a given time. The dashboard was providing very limited value to our community so we made the decision to take it down. We continue to track cases internally and will use this information to make science-based decisions about our policies and protocols. For regional data, visit the St. Louis County COVID-19 dashboard.
COVID Monitoring Team
The university established the COVID Monitoring Team to provide public health guidance and to advise on university policies. The team, which includes campus leaders in medicine, occupational health, public health, emergency management and logistics, continually coordinates the collection and review of data related to COVID-19 prevalence in the university and St. Louis communities and recommends appropriate public health strategies based on current conditions.
RECREATION & ATHLETICS
Student recreation center
The Sumers Recreation Center is open. Visit the center’s website for hours and other information.
Athletics
All Washington University varsity sports that are in season will continue as long as conditions permit. Competition, practices, team travel and any public health measures required during those activities will be approved by the Athletics Department in consultation with the COVID Medical Advisory Group.
TRAVEL
Danforth Campus employees and students may participate in university-sponsored domestic travel with no prior approval required other than those that are regularly in place at the school or unit level. University-sponsored and supported international travel still requires approval in certain instances, according to the process outlined by the International Travel Oversight Committee (ITOC) here. Potential travelers should consider conditions in the country and essentiality of the travel.
VISITORS
As long as conditions permit, visitors are allowed on campus, and are encouraged to complete a self-screening using the university’s visitor screening tool. All visitors must follow university requirements while on campus.
Basic Service Contract staff working on a university campus in proximity to others are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or masked with an approved and documented exemption.