Fully vaccinated students are no longer required to wear a mask on campus or inside Drexel-owned buildings, except in Drexel Healthcare settings and public transit, including Drexel Shuttles, according to an email sent out to the Drexel community June 23. The exceptions to this are Drexel healthcare settings and public transit, including Drexel shuttles, where masks will still be required regardless of vaccination status.
Unvaccinated or partially vaccinated students still must constantly wear a mask at all times on campus and inside on public transit.
“Vaccination is the only main way to get through this pandemic and to get back to the healthiest place we can be and to be able to have college. The number one reason we are doing it is for the health and safety of the students,” said Marla Gold, Senior Vice Provost for Community Health and Chief Wellness Officer. “The number one reason we are doing it is for the health and safety of the students.”The number one reason we are doing it is for the health and safety of the students
Eating on campus is no longer restricted, as masks are no longer required for most of the vaccinated community members, Gold said. However, unvaccinated students, for their safety, are recommended to stay away from others when eating, Gold said.
As of June 21, the Drexel Recreation Center has expanded access to Drexel alumni and the public in addition to faculty and professional staff already-admitted faculty and students, according to a Drexel One article. All areas are open within the Drexel Recreation Center. Locker rentals will remain on hold until further notice.
Squash courts one to seven are open for normal play and can be reserved, though reservations are not required.
Drexel Libraries has expanded on-site services for students, faculty, and staff while complying with public health guidelines and the University’s health and safety protocols. The seating capacity limit is lifted and reservations are no longer required, according to the library’s website.
This comes after the Spring term announcement that vaccinations will be required for all students by the beginning of Fall 2021, with certain exceptions. The fall term aims to return to an in-person schedule.
This mandate applies to incoming and returning full-time and part-time Drexel students that will be spending time on campus. Students enrolled in Drexel University Online, and those who will not be on campus do not need to provide proof of vaccination. Even so, Drexel strongly encourages these students to receive vaccinations for the safety of themselves and those around them. Online students who have residency or on-campus components to their studies are required to be vaccinated.
In order to return to campus, students are required to be fully vaccinated and submit proof of their vaccination on the Drexel Health Checker app.
Some International students that may not have had access to vaccines, or have already taken a vaccine that is not approved by the World Health Organization; these cases, will be eligible to take an approved vaccine upon arrival to Drexel’s campus. Although the window for getting vaccinated upon arrival is yet to be decided, it is anticipated to be short.
Unvaccinated or partially vaccinated individuals returning toon campus will be enrolled in mandatory weekly testing and must abide by additional safety measures. Drexel also plans on making vaccines available at Race Hall for students arriving unvaccinated for whatsoever reasons.
“For people who arrive unvaccinated but are willing to get vaccinated, we will begin their vaccination right at the time they arrive,” Gold said.
Drexel aims to have a fully vaccinated campus, besides exempted students, by the start of the fall term. The deadline for all Drexel students and employees to be vaccinated or have received an exemption is July 1 for semester students and August 1 for employees and students on the quarter system. Vaccinated students must provide proof of vaccination—or be granted a medical or religious exemption—within two weeks of coming to campus this fall.
Vaccines not only protect an individual’s health but also the health of the people around them. It is Drexel’s goal to create widespread immunity on campus. If the circulation of coronavirus can be stopped, it will not have the genetic errors that produce variants, Gold said.
People exempted for religious and medical reasons must sign an agreement requiring that they would remain masked indoors at all times, check for symptoms regularly, and receive a weekly COVID-test done.
Drexel has not yet announced the time period during which these regulations will be applicable.