COVID-19 Protocols
Mask-Optional Policy
Trends continue to indicate that we are emerging from the dire stages of the pandemic. Based on The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)'s most recent updates to its tracking and guidance, Elizabethtown College has updated our COVID-19 guidelines to make mask wearing optional on campus, effective March 4, 2022 for students, employees, and all guests.
It is important to note that masks remain optional and acknowledge that wearing a mask is a personal choice. The College fully supports anyone who chooses to wear a mask and expects all members of the campus community to be respectful of this choice. We encourage civility and understanding around this matter.
It is also important to keep in mind that students and employees engaging in College-related experiences off-campus will need to comply with the requirements of external facilities when it comes to masking.
Should COVID-19 cases on our campus rise to significant levels or our county move into the CDC's high transmission categories, the College may reinstate the indoor masking mandate and will communicate that immediately. Visit this page for the most up-to-date information.
Quarantine and Isolation Procedures
Based on the recently published guidance by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the College has updated its quarantine and isolation procedures to the following:
Individuals who test positive for COVID-19 will isolate for 5 days and if they are asymptomatic or their symptoms are resolving (without fever for 24 hours), follow that by a recommended 5 days of wearing a mask when around others to minimize the risk of infecting people they encounter.
Additionally, non-vaccinated individuals or those who are more than six months out from their second vaccine dose (or more than 2 months after the J&J vaccine) and not yet boosted who are exposed will be required to quarantine for 5 days followed by recommneded masking for an additional 5 days.
Individuals who have received their booster shot do not need to quarantine following an exposure, are recommended to wear a mask around others for 10 days after the exposure. For all those exposed, best practice would also include a test for COVID-19 at day 5 after exposure. If symptoms occur, individuals should immediately quarantine until a negative test confirms symptoms are not attributable to COVID-19.
Vaccine Guidelines
Elizabethtown College strongly encourages all members of the campus community to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and booster. While we are not requiring individuals to be vaccinated, employees and students should submit their updated Vaccine & Booster Verification Status to include their booster information as soon as possible. Non-vaccinated individuals will be subject to weekly surveillance testing at a rate of 25-percent of this population upon their return to campus.
