ANN ARBOR – The University of Michigan will maintain its face covering and vaccination policies heading into the fall 2022 term, according to officials from the Ann Arbor campus.
The guidance was determined by the school’s COVID-19 Campus Health Response Committee.
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U-M will continue to adhere to its current vaccination policy which requires all students, faculty and staff complete their primary vaccination series against COVID-19 and one booster shot.
According to the new guidance, face masks are required at U-M COVID-19 testing sites and in patient care settings but are optional in other areas of campus.
“We are planning for a vibrant campus experience that is supported by the high vaccination rate of our campus community,” associate vice president of student life and director of Campus COVID Response Robert Ernst and U-M chief health officer Preeti Malani said in an email to the campus community on Tuesday. “Our data shows that the majority of COVID-19 infections among our community this past academic year presented as either having mild or no symptoms at all.”
In a separate statement, U-M Provost Laurie McCauley said that the university community should prepare for a “fully residential experience” this fall.
According to the CHRC, its masking recommendations for indoor campus spaces will be based on the CDC’s community risk level for Washtenaw County. The community level in the county is currently “medium” which advises individuals to make masking decisions based on their personal preferences.
Students, faculty and staff will still be able to access the Community Tracking and Sampling Program. Those who have not completed the required COVID-19 vaccine schedule will still be required to test weekly.
The school’s ResponsiBLUE daily symptom checker will still be used to track compliance of U-M’s vaccine policy and to access some buildings.
According to officials, students living in residence halls will be prioritized for isolation housing and all students should come up with an isolation back-up plan in the case that campus isolation housing becomes full.
Updated guidance for the U-M Dearborn and Flint campuses will be shared later this summer, officials said.