Dear Members of the Campus Community:

Fordham University COVID-19 Guidelines on the web: fordham.edu/fordhamforward

Welcome back to campus. Here are the five things you need to know about Fordham’s COVID-19 precautions, vaccinations, and University operations for the first week of classes. All members of the University community are required to wear a mask in all indoor public spaces at all times. (See the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s updated guidelines on masks.)

On-campus cases: In the last 7 days, 92 members of the University community tested positive for COVID-19, as listed on the University dashboard (out of an in-person population of 18,195).
The Dashboard has changed. The isolation and quarantine requirements are now 5 days (see below): when the requirements were 14 days, it made sense to have the dashboard reflect that. The main benefit of a 7-day average is that it gives a more current snapshot of the number of cases on campus.
Isolation and quarantine requirements have changed:
- How Long Do I Isolate? If you have COVID-19 or have symptoms, isolate for at least 5 days. Day 0 is your first day of symptoms or a positive test. Day 1 is the first full day after your symptoms developed or your test specimen was collected.
- When Can I Leave Isolation? If you are fever-free for 24 hours (without the use of fever-reducing medication) and your symptoms are improving or you never experienced symptoms, you can test on or after day 6 using a rapid/antigen test (not a PCR test). If your rapid test is negative, please complete this Symptom-Free Attestation Form to notify us. If your rapid test is positive or you are continuing to experience symptoms, you need to remain in isolation for 10 days. If you leave isolation before day 11, wear a well-fitted mask any time you are around others inside your home or in public.
- Won’t I Continue to Test Positive for 90 Days After I Have COVID-19? After a confirmed case of COVID-19, you may continue to test positive on a PCR test for an average of 90 days. However, a rapid or antigen test is only likely to be positive if you are still at risk of spreading infection OR you have contracted COVID-19 again, so it is an accurate way to test. If you tested positive for COVID-19 during the break, please do not take another PCR test. Instead, please upload a copy of those recent positive test results via VitalCheck.
All faculty, staff, and students are required to have a COVID-19 vaccine booster dose prior to the start of classes for the spring 2022 semester, or as soon as medically permissible: Update to University COVID-19 Vaccination Policy.
COVID-19 Boosters: The University is making COVID-19 boosters available for all eligible students, faculty, and staff. The vaccine schedule is available on the COVID-19 Testing and Vaccine Resources page.
Free Rapid Tests: The U.S. Government is providing free at-home COVID-19 tests—order from this page: https://special.usps.com/testkits