Dear Colleague:

Starting immediately, Old Dominion University faculty and staff who are fully vaccinated will no longer be required to wear masks or distance physically indoors or outdoors on campus. Those fully vaccinated are also exempted from the University COVID-19 screening program and Daily Check-In process.

Guidance for students will be forthcoming.

Face masks are still required of all people entering Student Health Services, any COVID-19 screening or sample collection area and the COVID Lab.

Please be mindful that local businesses or public transportation options may also still require face coverings.

Our decision is based on updated public health guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Governor's Office and after consultation with health experts inside and outside the University.

Individuals are classified as fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving the second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or the one-dose Johnson and Johnson Janssen vaccine.

Those who are not fully vaccinated will still have to wear masks indoors and outdoors on campus when they cannot maintain physical distancing guidelines.

The rules may differ for those in the health professions, who should seek guidance from their supervisors and advisers.

Fully vaccinated people may continue wearing masks if they wish to do so, and we fully support their continued use.

We encourage all Monarchs to get vaccinated. That is the surest way to protect your health and that of the community. For more information, go to https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/covid-19-vaccine/

We are updating our COVID-19 policy to reflect these changes and will keep you informed of any other updates to our policies pertaining to the pandemic. We appreciate your commitment to #ReignResponsibly to keep our community safe and look forward to the resumption of in-person classes this fall.

Sincerely,
Giovanna