Dear UMass Boston Community,
We write with a COVID-19 public health update for the fall semester.
COVID-19
We continue to closely monitor relevant data and public health guidance to inform our COVID-19 policies and protocols. Given our extremely high vaccination rates, the continued success of the protocols we have put in place, and Suffolk County’s current designation as having a medium community risk for COVID-19, we are cautiously moving forward with our updated COVID mitigations protocols at UMass Boston. We will continue to follow CDC guidelines as they apply to local conditions and our protocols may change accordingly.
Here is a summary of the major policies and changes for the fall:
- Vaccination: All students and employees are required to be vaccinated to participate in in-person university activities. Booster shots are strongly recommended, but are no longer required. Free booster shots for employees and students can be scheduled at UHS via the MyHealthBeacon portal.
- Mask policy: We will continue to adhere to CDC Community Levels to guide our indoor masking policy. Currently masks are strongly recommended on campus, but not required, for most individuals. Those who have been granted an exemption to the vaccination requirement must continue to mask indoors on campus. Masks are still required inside University Health Services.
- Health monitoring: We expect all campus stakeholders to closely monitor their own health on a daily basis. If you believe you may have contracted COVID, please stay home and get tested.
- Surveillance testing: Surveillance testing is no longer required for asymptomatic and vaccinated individuals with no known exposures. Individuals who have received exemptions to the vaccine requirement, and a small number of students who will start the semester partially vaccinated, are required to participate in weekly surveillance testing at UHS.
- Testing: Free on-demand testing at UHS remains available to the community. We have ended our PCR testing program and now mostly use medical-grade antigen tests, which have proved accurate, quick, and easy to use. Free at home antigen tests (and face masks) remain available at UHS, Human Resources, EH&S, and the Campus Center Upper Level information desk.
- Quarantine and isolation: Our quarantine and isolation policies are based on CDC recommendations and have recently changed based on new CDC guidelines. Individuals who are exposed to COVID-19 should wear a mask for 10 days and test on day 5 after exposure. Individuals testing positive should isolate for at least 5 days or until they are fever free for 24 hours and symptoms have improved. A mask should be worn through day 10 after the initial exposure.
- Events: All COVID-related event restrictions have been lifted, but we continue to expect visitors will be vaccinated. We encourage event organizers to take caution, particularly with big groups and when serving food and drink.
- Contact Tracing: We expect individuals testing positive to take proactive steps to identify and inform potential close contacts. Close contacts are defined as having been within 6 feet of a COVID positive individual for a period of 15 minutes over a 24 hour period. Health Services does not conduct contact tracing on each known positive case.
With the unfolding of new variants it is clear that the pandemic continues. We will remain vigilant in monitoring the situation and continuously evaluating the safety protocols in place on our campus. As the semester unfolds, it may be necessary to re-introduce more restrictive policies and protocols, based on new health conditions.
We extend a heartfelt thank you to all our students, faculty, and staff for following our health and safety protocols. Please continue to be vigilant and work together to keep our campus community safe. Our collective precautions and agency protects all of us. You can find additional information about policies and FAQs, on the UMass Boston COVID-19 website.
