Important Spring 2022 Return to Campus Information

January 3, 2022

Dear Student,

Best wishes to you as we start the new year. Villanova continues to take actions that will protect the health and safety of our community to ensure another successful semester on campus. This email addresses mandatory arrival testing for the spring semester and a new requirement that all eligible community members must receive a COVID-19 booster shot by January 31, 2022. For now, please note, we will continue to follow the masking guidelines from the Fall 2021 semester; the mask policy will remain in effect until all community members, without an approved accommodation, have received an approved COVID-19 booster.

Mandatory Arrival Testing

All students will be required to participate in arrival testing according to the schedule below, as previously announced in the December 13 Community First update:

Week of January 3

• Undergraduate students participating in Panhellenic recruitment will be tested on January 5.
• Law students who have returned to campus will be tested on January 6 and 7.

Week of January 10

• Undergraduate students living on campus and full-time graduate students physically on campus or taking in-person classes in January.
• All other law students not tested during the week of January 3.

Week of January 17

• Undergraduate and graduate students living off-campus.

Please click here to schedule your COVID-19 arrival testing appointment.

You will receive an additional email reminding you to sign up for testing during your assigned week.

Participation in mandatory arrival testing will be strictly enforced. Students who do not register for and participate in testing during the first two weeks of the semester will be withdrawn from their classes and will have their housing and/or meal plan contracts canceled, if applicable. Any monies already paid for Spring 2022 tuition or fees will be credited to the student’s Bursar account and may be applied to a future semester upon the student’s return.

COVID-19 Booster Requirement and On-Campus Clinic

The COVID-19 booster dose is required for all eligible students, faculty and staff. An individual is eligible for the booster six months after completing the primary COVID-19 vaccination series with Moderna and Pfizer vaccines and two months after receiving the Johnson and Johnson vaccine. Available booster vaccination sites can be found by visiting vaccines.gov.

Documentation of the COVID-19 booster must be uploaded into Villanova’s secure portal—Villanova.medicatconnect.com—by Monday, January 31, 2022. Individuals not yet currently eligible for the booster can upload documentation as soon as they are able. All documentation will be kept confidential.

An individual who has previously been approved for a medical or religious accommodation to Villanova’s vaccine requirement does not need to request an additional accommodation for the booster requirement. Twice-weekly surveillance testing will continue to be required for those approved for a vaccine accommodation.

Please note: We encourage students to get a booster shot before returning to campus, if possible. In addition, Villanova will host booster clinics on campus in January for students, faculty and staff. More information will be provided once dates and details are finalized.

Updated Isolation and Quarantine Guidelines

The CDC guidelines for isolation and quarantine practices in the United States have changed.

Any student who tests positive for COVID-19 and lives within 300 miles of the University will be required to isolate away from campus for five days. Isolation space is available through Villanova for the mandatory five-day isolation period for students living further than 300 miles from campus. If a student in isolation remains asymptomatic, or if symptoms resolve, they may leave isolation on Day 6, but must wear a mask for an additional five days.

With regard to quarantine, students identified as close contacts or who have a known exposure to COVID-19 must follow this guidance:

• People who are unvaccinated or are more than six months out from their second mRNA dose (or more than 2 months after the Johnson & Johnson vaccine) and not yet boosted, need to quarantine for 5 days followed by strict mask use for an additional 5 days with a test on Day 5.
• People who have received their booster shot do not need to quarantine following an exposure, but need to wear a mask for 10 days after the exposure, with a test on Day 5.

Additional Testing Before Return to Campus

The University strongly encourages students to be tested on their own for COVID-19 before returning to campus, especially if you are not feeling well. If a student tests positive for COVID-19 prior to returning to campus, they are required to remain at home until their isolation period has been completed. Students testing positive for COVID-19 through the University mandatory arrival testing program will be asked to return home if they live within 300 miles of campus.

For additional information regarding updated campus COVID-19 policies, please visit the Villanova Latest Guidance website. If you have any questions, please email info@villanova.edu.

We look forward to having another vibrant, successful semester and welcoming you back to campus for the start of a new and prosperous year.

Sincerely, 

Kathleen J. Byrnes
Vice President for Student Life