NORFOLK, Va. - As Old Dominion University prepares for in-person learning on campus this fall, university officials provided an update on COVID-19 protocol.
In a notice to the Monarch community on June 8, ODU officials said students will be required to be fully vaccinated before arriving on campus for the fall semester. They must also confirm proof of vaccination by August 1, unless claiming an exemption.
Exemptions will be accommodated for medical reasons and religious beliefs. Any students who do not submit proof of vaccination for any reason will need to complete the university's Assumption of Risk Form.
Students who take only online courses and never come to an ODU campus or location will not be required to have the COVID-19 vaccine.
Faculty and staff are strongly encouraged to be fully vaccinated by August 1, and faculty, staff and students are asked to upload proof of vaccination by that same date.
In late May, the university said fully vaccinated faculty and staff would no longer have to wear masks or practice social distancing inside or outside on campus.
University officials say while faculty, staff and students who are fully vaccinated are no longer required to wear masks or distance physically while on campus, they may continue to wear a mask if they wish to do so. Masks are still required when entering Student Health Services or any COVID-19 screening or testing facility. Unvaccinated faculty, staff and students may be subject to testing.
Anyone who is not vaccinated is required to wear masks on campus when they cannot maintain physical distancing guidelines, as required by the Commonwealth. However, on May 28, Gov. Ralph Northam lifted all capacity and social distancing restrictions in Virginia.
The university said it will continue to observe the latest public health guidelines and best practices from the Virginia Department of Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Click hereto read ODU's full updated COVID-19 guidelines.
