UNC leadership alerted the campus community Wednesday of new COVID-19 testing requirements prior to the start of the spring semester.

All unvaccinated students and any student living in a residence hall, regardless of their vaccination status, will be required to complete a COVID-19 test within 72 hours of returning to campus. Test results must be uploaded to the Student Requirements Dashboard on Connect Carolina.

“For students who cannot locate a free community testing center and have to pay for a COVID-19 test, the university will reimburse testing costs for their prior-to-arrival testing up to $65 with a receipt,” UNC leadership said. “Please save the receipt, and we will provide more information on that process in the coming days.”

The university is also encouraging all students living off-campus in the Chapel Hill and Carrboro area to complete a COVID-19 test prior to arrival.

UNC leadership continues to recommend that unvaccinated members of the community receive their COVID-19 shots and booster shots – especially in light of rising COVID-19 cases from the omicron variant.

“While we cannot mandate the booster, we have consistently urged everyone to get the booster shot,” UNC leadership said in a campus message. “The vaccines are extremely effective at preventing death and hospitalization from COVID-19, including the new variant.”

Between August 1, 2021 and December 20, 2021, there were 779 positive COVID-19 cases through on-campus testing. Cases are expected to ramp up following holiday gatherings.

UNC will announce any changes to the spring 2022 operations no later than January 3, 2022 – one week before the first day of classes.

Other universities, including Duke University, announced that they will start the spring semester remotely. UNC previously did the same for the spring 2021 semester.

“In the past year, we have successfully made operational changes as necessary to protect our community, and we are prepared to make changes again, if needed,” the campus message read. “Therefore, we will continue to reevaluate the need to make additional changes to congregate living (residence halls and fraternity and sorority housing), large gatherings and events, modes of instruction, and public transportation.”

The UNC Faculty Executive Committee is scheduled to meet Thursday to discuss COVID-19 operations for the spring semester.

 

Photo via Jon Gardiner/UNC-Chapel Hill

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