COVID-19 Update: Additional Protocols for Fall Term
Dear DU community,
On behalfofthe COVID-19 Coordinator Team, welcome! We look forward to supporting a vibrant, in-person fall term.
With dedicated attention, we enjoyed a successful 2020-21 academic year amid highly uncertain conditions and largely without vaccination. This year, we face a new setofcircumstances--improved protection via vaccination but also an evolving pandemic due to new variantsofthe virus. With our health partner, National Jewish Health, and in collaboration with public health agencies, DU will continue to respond quickly and strategically to changing conditions. You can view the current COVID-19 mitigation protocols anytime at
Below are someofthis fall’s most significant protocols, in addition to theinformationshared by Chancellor Haefner earlier this week.
Pre-Term Checklist
- Submit proofofCOVID-19 vaccination or request an exemption no later than Sept. 1.
- Complete required test for COVID-19 on campus. Non-DU tests will not be accepted as we reintegrate during the first few weeksofthe fall term.
- Receive “cleared” campus access status (found under Campus Access Status on your PioneerWeb homepage).
Vaccination
Submit your vaccination record or request an exemption allowing time for verification and approval by your fall term start date, and no later than September 1 onMyHealth. Visit the Health & Counseling Center COVID-19immunization pagefor directions on submitting your vaccination record or information about vaccination exemptions. For information on which vaccines are accepted and other details, consult ourvaccination protocol.
Accessing Campus and Buildings
To enter buildings on campus, you will need to “badge in” using your DU ID card. Your DU ID card will allow you to enter academic and community buildings once you have completed the fall term checklist and have “cleared” campus access status. Every individual needs to badge in each time you enter a building.
Required Testing
On-campus testing locations and hours are availablehere. SalivaԻnasal testing will be available at the beginningofterm from September 6 – 24 when we are testing more frequently. Afterward, we will use only the saliva method through the fall term. After the first few weeksofthe term, if you prefer a nasal swab test, you may submit an external, non-DU nasal swab RT-PCR.
On Arrival
Complete your first test for COVID-19 within 48 hours before your planned arrival on campus or, if you cannot do so, you may test on arrival.
If you have a verified exemption, you are required to self-quarantine until you receive your test results. If you have not yet received either a verified exemption or submitted your vaccination record, you must stay off campus until these documents are verified.
If you received a positive test for COVID-19 in the past 90 days and that result is documented in MyHealth, you should not complete a COVID-19 test upon arrival, per CDC recommendations. For questions about this circumstance, please contactcovidcoordinator@du.edu.
If you test positive upon arrival, you are required to isolate until at least 10 days after symptoms first appeared, you have been fever-free for 24 hours without medication and other symptoms are improving. If you test positive and are asymptomatic, you can stop isolating 10 days after the positive test.
Throughout the Fall Term
Regular testing for COVID-19 is required for all community members. Everyone must test twice at the startoftheir fall term (August for Law, September for the restofcampus) and then follow their individualized testing schedule until informed otherwise. Access your testing schedule under “campus access status” on your PioneerWeb homepage. Your assigned testing frequency depends on the circumstancesofyour role or cohort.
Additional Protocols
- We are closely monitoring CDC guidance and are in communication with theDenverDepartmentofPublic Health and Environment (DDPHE) regarding face coverings. At this time, if you are vaccinated, you are not required but may choose to wear a mask indoors. Vaccination rates are very high on campus, and we are actively testing our population. We have a very low positivity rate and excellent capacity to quickly isolate and quarantine.
- Unvaccinated residential students will not share a bedroom with vaccinated students.
- Face coverings are required for everyone, regardlessofvaccination status, in the Fisher Early Learning Center, Ricks Center for Gifted Children, Health & Counseling Center, certain on-campus clinics, while serving or preparing food, at the SPIT lab and collections sites, and during certain events as designated.
- No eating in classrooms.
- Everyone, regardlessofvaccination status, should seek a COVID-19 test if they experience any symptoms. Please self-quarantine while you wait for your results and until symptoms improve.
Please remember that people choose to wear face coverings for many reasons. They may be immunocompromised, caring for a vulnerable person, living with someone unvaccinated, including small children currently without access to a vaccine, or because they themselves are unvaccinated for personal reasons. DU is a compassionate, respectful community. Let’s embody these values as we come together on campus by treating one another with kindness and avoiding assumptions.
We are excited to welcome the community back to campus for the fall term and look forward to fewer restrictions thanks to widespread vaccination. Please review ouras well as our detailedSustaining a CommunityofCare Action Planfor more information on our approach to fall 2021.
TheArrival Help Center will be in the Garden roomofthe Chamber Center (1901 E. Asbury Ave.) from September 5-20. The center will be open 8 a.m.–8 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
The COVID-19 coordinator team is always available to support you and answer questions. For emergencies, or to report a positive COVID-19 test or exposure, please call 303-871-COVD (2683) or emailreportCOVID@du.edu. For information about the SPIT program or lab, please call 303-549-8867. For all other inquiries and non-urgent questions, please emailCOVIDcoordinator@du.eduor call 303-656-7137.
We look forward to seeing you soon!
Sincerely,
Sarah Watamura
COVID-19 Coordinator on behalfofthe COVID-19 Coordinator Team