Temple University will not require fully vaccinated individuals to wear masks or participate in the university’s COVID-19 testing program during the Fall 2021 semester, President Richard Englert and Executive Vice President and Provost JoAnne Epps announced today in a message to students, faculty and staff.
Individuals who are not fully vaccinated will be required to wear masks indoors, except when eating or drinking, and outdoors when it is not possible to distance from others, according to the announcement. Temple will consider individuals unvaccinated if they have not uploaded proof of vaccination to the university’s patient health portal.
Temple will require unvaccinated faculty and staff members who will be working on campus to be tested for COVID-19 starting July 19, according to the announcement. Unvaccinated students who are returning to campus for the fall semester will be tested regularly beginning Aug. 23.
The university will send an email to students, faculty and staff members who will be required to be tested during the week of July 5 with more information about the testing process and how to schedule appointments, according to the announcement.
Englert and Epps urge all Temple students, faculty and staff to get the vaccine, according to the announcement.
Temple’s mask guidance for the fall follows the City of Philadelphia’s guidelines, which does not require fully vaccinated individuals to wear masks indoors or outdoors, except in certain high-risk settings, The Temple News reported.
As of last week, more than 743,000 Philadelphians have been fully vaccinated, The Temple News reported.
People who receive the two-dose Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving their second dose, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those who receive the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving their shot.
Unvaccinated students who are taking summer classes on campus are tested either weekly or every few days, The Temple News reported.
Students, faculty and staff members can call 215-204-7500 to schedule an appointment to receive a vaccine at Student Health Services, according to the announcement. The university will provide more information on getting vaccinated on campus in the coming weeks.
“Vaccines are widely available throughout the city, the region and the country, and they are safe, effective and free,” Englert and Epps wrote.
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