CUNY remains dedicated to providing a safe and healthy environment for our students, faculty and staff for the Spring 2023 semester. We continue to adhere to the latest CDC guidance on COVID and any requirements from New York State and New York City.
Vaccination and Booster Requirements
All new students coming to campus for the first time in the spring for in-person and hybrid courses, or any other on-campus activities, will be required to submit proof of vaccination, unless a religious or medical exemption has been approved. Students must upload proof of being fully-vaccinated prior to the start of classes for the spring term. A person is considered fully vaccinated:
- Two weeks after their second dose in a 2-dose series, such as Pfizer or Moderna or;
- Two weeks after a single dose vaccine such as Johnson & Johnson (J&J), or;
- At the time specified in either the FDA licensure or World Health Organization (WHO) approval, after the final vaccination of any other vaccines.
Additionally, students, faculty, and staff are strongly encouraged to receive vaccine boosters, once eligible. Colleges should continue to promote the benefits of vaccination and encourage their campus populations to receive vaccinations and boosters.
Note: Individuals who received a World Health Organization (WHO) approved vaccination other than the three listed above must provide more information. Students can reach out to Campus Location Vaccination Authority (LVA) for details.
Masks
At this time, CUNY does not require face masks.
Anyone who would like to continue wearing masks in any setting is welcome to do so at any time. Masks will continue to be available on campus and offices.
Mask requirements associated with isolation and quarantine as referenced later in these guidelines remain in effect.
Those who choose to wear a mask should continue to follow CDC guidance on acceptable face coverings.
Note, campuses may still require employees to wear protective PPE masks due to the nature of their work. Employers must comply with all applicable OSHA standards.
Housing and Communal Spaces
Given that vaccines will be mandatory for students living in campus housing, housing and dorms will resume normal operations with 100% of occupants fully vaccinated. Unvaccinated students may not live in campus housing. Campus housing must ensure that adequate space is reserved for those residents who may need to isolate or quarantine. Protocols, such as those suggested by the American College Health Association, should be in place to care for those residents in isolation.
Contact Tracing
CUNY will continue to aid in the identification of exposures, and notify close contacts, as appropriate, of exposure as soon as possible after being notified that someone in the campus has tested positive or been diagnosed with COVID-19.
CUNY and Campuses will continue to follow CDC Guidance below:
- As soon as possible after they are notified that someone has tested positive for or been diagnosed with COVID-19, campuses should notify close contacts of exposure, in accordance with applicable privacy and other laws.
- Individuals who test positive for COVID-19 or have COVID-19 symptoms should isolate and notify their close contacts that they may have been exposed to COVID-19 and refer close contacts to the state or local health department website to learn about the steps they should take because of the exposure.
Isolation and Exposure
CUNY continues to follow the latest CDC guidance on isolation and exposure. Any students, staff or faculty who test positive with COVID-19 or are exposed to someone with COVID-19 must follow these guidelines, as outlined below, prior to returning to campus.
- Isolation Guidelines if You Test Positive for COVID-19
- If you test positive for COVID-19, stay home for at least 5 days and isolate from others in your home.
- You may end isolation based on how serious your symptoms were:
- If you had no symptoms, you may end isolation after 5 days.
- If you had mild symptoms, end isolation after 5 days if you have been fever free for 24 hours (without medication) and other symptoms are improving.
- If symptoms are not improving, continue to isolate until you are fever free for at least 24 hours and symptoms improve.
- If you had moderate symptoms (shortness of breath or difficulty breathing) you should isolate for 10 days.
- If you had severe symptoms (hospitalization), isolate for 10 days and consult your doctor. You may need a viral test before ending isolation.
- Removing your mask
- If you have ended isolation and are feeling better, you may remove your masks after 10 days.
- With two sequential negative antigen tests 48 hours apart, you may remove your mask sooner than day 10.
- If your antigen test results are positive, you may still be infectious. You should continue wearing a mask and wait at least 48 hours before taking another test. Continue taking antigen tests at least 48 hours apart until you have two sequential negative results. This may mean you need to continue wearing a mask and testing beyond day 10.
- Free, at-home rapid tests are provided by New York City. Use NYC COVID-19 Test Site Finder and COVID 19 Testing Sites – NYC Health + Hospitals (nychealthandhospitals.org) to find a test near you.
- After you have ended isolation, if your COVID-19 symptoms recur or worsen, restart your isolation at day 0. Talk to a healthcare provider if you have questions about your symptoms or when to end isolation.
-
- If You Were Exposed to Someone with COVID-19
Everyone, regardless of vaccination status.
-
-
- You do not need to quarantine.
- Take precautions for 10 full days
-
- Wear a high-quality mask. Avoid situations where you cannot wear a mask.
- Monitor for symptoms. If you develop symptoms, isolate immediately, get tested and stay home until you know the result.
-
- Get tested at least 5 days after your close contact (the date of your exposure is considered day 0); if you test positive, stay home and isolate per guidelines above.
- If your exposure is from someone you live with, you should reach out to your Campus Coronavirus Liaison.
- If you develop symptoms, get a test, stay home and follow the isolation guidelines above.
-
Travel
Metrics and Early Warning:
CUNY will continue to monitor campus and community infection rates. CUNY Central Office will consult with campus leadership to determine the best course of action for additional safety protocols or scaling back campus activity, if necessary. Any decisions on shutting down particular buildings/areas within campuses, individual campuses, or multiple campuses, as appropriate, will be made by the Chancellery/COO’s Office in consultation with local/State authorities.
Campuses must have a shutdown plan in place to respond rapidly. Campuses should rely on previously developed shutdown plans and consult the Reclosing Protocols: CUNY’s Guide for Safely Closing On-Campus Operations, for additional information on criteria for shutdown and shutdown protocols.
Testing:
CUNY will continue its testing program using various testing models for the safety and convenience of the CUNY community.
- All students are encouraged to test before returning to campus.
- Weekly testing will continue for those who are unvaccinated.
- Overall random testing of 5% of the on-campus population. Participation in the random surveillance testing is mandatory and failure to participate will result in the removal of the individual’s Cleared4 access pass to CUNY spaces.
For more information about CUNY’s COVID-19 testing program, please see the Testing FAQ. For a list of testing locations, visit here. For general frequently asked questions, please refer to the Getting Back to Working in Person FAQ. If you still have questions, please contact your HR office.
Self-Screening
Before coming to campus, each member of the community is expected to monitor your symptoms, stay away from others if you feel sick, and get tested at a public testing site if you have any symptoms. CUNY safeCircle testing sites should not be used if you have symptoms.
Visitor Policy
CUNY no longer requires a proof of vaccine or recent negative test for visitors. CUNY’s campuses and buildings should return to their standard protocols for visitors.
Athletics
For safety protocols and updates regarding CUNY’s athletics programs, see the CUNY Athletic Conference Return to Sport Plan.
For additional information on safely participating in athletics, schools may consult the NCAA’s Training and Competition Guidelines.
General Guidelines for Healthy Facilities
CUNY will maintain many approaches to limit the spread of communicable disease. These include regular and enhanced cleaning, safe disinfection (when necessary), improved ventilation and maintaining healthy facilities.
