Elon University will require all students to receive and upload documentation of a COVID-19 booster vaccination by Jan. 31, 2022, or within seven days of being eligible to receive the booster, according to an email from Healthy Elon Committee Chair Jeff Stein. The email recommended that students try to get booster shots before Winter Term classes begin on Jan. 4, 2022.
The booster mandate comes in response to the increase in cases of the highly transmissible Omicron variant of COVID-19 throughout December. While it is mandatory for students, the university strongly recommends, but will not mandate, the booster for faculty and staff.
Booster vaccination clinics will be held on campus throughout Winter Term. The clinics will work on a first-come-first-serve basis and are by appointment, which can be made online.
Asymptomatic testing on campus will continue Dec. 27 through 30, and resume on Jan. 3, 2022. According to the email, the Healthy Elon vaccination webpage will be updated with more information about boosters, previously-approved exemptions, positive cases during break and eligibility for boosters. The university will also continue to require masks indoors through the end of January.
Students who are registered for short term study abroad programs in January are advised to stay in contact with faculty advisers and check the Global Education Center webpage for updates on courses and travel.