Dear Students,

For those of you who are new to the University, welcome to Notre Dame. For those of you who are entering another academic year, we look forward to your return to campus. 

Today we write to share an overview of the University’s COVID-19 policies. Given the University’s high vaccination rate, and in consultation with public health officials and partners across the region, the University’s COVID protocols will remain unchanged from those announced at the conclusion of the 2021-22 academic year. 

For the 2022 fall semester, the following protocols will be in place.

VACCINATIONS AND BOOSTERS

The University requires all students to be fully vaccinated against COVID except for those with a medical or religious exemption. To be considered fully vaccinated, all Notre Dame students—undergraduate, graduate, and professional, including students studying or performing research remotely and/or virtually—should have received:

• Two shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines or any WHO approved vaccination, more than 6 months ago, plus a Pfizer or Moderna booster; or
• A single shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine more than 2 months ago, plus a Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna booster.

Additional information about the University’s vaccination and booster requirements can be found here.

TESTING

Symptomatic Testing 
Symptomatic testing for students is available through University Health Services (UHS). Please call 574-631-7497 to schedule an appointment.

Asymptomatic Testing 
Asymptomatic testing is not available on campus, however, at-home testing kits are readily available through local pharmacies, healthcare providers, health departments, and the U.S. government. 

At-home Testing
Students who receive a positive test result through an at-home test should upload their positive test to their Patient Portal within 4 hours and call UHS at 574-631-7497 to discuss their test results with a staff member who will then order a confirmatory test at UHS. If at-home test results are positive outside of normal business hours, students should upload their positive test and call UHS at 574-631-7497 to be connected to an after hours, on-call nurse to report their results and receive medical guidance. A UHS staff member will be in touch the next business day regarding next steps. Until students hear from UHS, they should isolate in their residence, whether living on or off-campus.

QUARANTINE AND ISOLATION

Vaccinated Students
Fully vaccinated individuals who test positive for COVID are required to isolate in their on or off-campus residence for five days. Assuming they are symptom-free, they may return to their normal activities after five days.

Unvaccinated Students
Unvaccinated individuals who test positive for COVID are required to isolate in their on or off-campus residence for five days and test at UHS on day 5. Assuming symptoms have resolved and the day 5 test is negative, students may return to their normal activities. If the day 5 test is positive, an additional five days of isolation is required.

On-campus Students
Students living on campus who test positive for COVID-19 will be required to isolate in their assigned rooms for five days, leaving only to retrieve Grab and Go meals from the dining halls or other designated facilities on campus. Students who test positive are required to wear face coverings until day 5—ideally a KN95 mask—if living with roommates and when leaving the room for food or to use the restroom. 

While off-campus quarantine space is not available to on-campus students whose roommate(s) tests positive regardless of vaccination status, students are welcome to temporarily relocate to a friend’s room or off-campus space at their own discretion. Previous close contact transmission testing in our campus community has shown a low positivity rate in both vaccinated and unvaccinated students in quarantine. The risk for contracting the virus from a roommate can be significantly mitigated by wearing a KN95 mask or other face covering, which is required of all students for five days whose roommate(s) tests positive. 

Off-campus Students
Off-campus students should utilize their homes for quarantine or isolation.

Close Contacts
Roommates of a student who tests positive for COVID are considered close contacts and, regardless of vaccination status, are required to wear face coverings when leaving their rooms for any reason until day 5.

MASKING

With the exception of those who test positive and roommates of students who test positive, masking is optional indoors and outdoors on campus, including at events, for all Notre Dame faculty, staff, students and visitors. Regardless of vaccination status, masks continue to be required for all who visit University Health Services and the Notre Dame Wellness Center. Additionally, masks are required in any instructional or research space—classrooms, offices, labs or studios—where the faculty member or instructor requires masking. The University’s complete masking policy is available here. 

All members of the University community are encouraged to remain mindful of their health and wellness. Students who feel unwell should call UHS for a testing appointment or take an at-home test. Additionally, students who feel sick are encouraged to defer to best wellness practices such as wearing a mask and remaining at home if possible in order to help keep the campus community safe.

As has been true throughout the pandemic, the University continues to monitor the local and national landscape and will adjust its policies accordingly to safeguard the health and well-being of the entire campus community. We will, of course, notify you of any changes. 

For the latest information on the University’s COVID policies and protocols, please refer to covid.nd.edu. If you have any questions or need any additional information, please feel free to contact University Health Services or call 574-631-7497. 

We wish you a healthy and safe fall semester.

The Division of Student Affairs