With the start of a new academic year just weeks away, UNC leadership shared the latest round of COVID-19 guidance for the campus community on Friday as the school aims.
A release from UNC Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz, Provost Chris Clemens and Lead Physician Dr. Amir Barzin outlined suggestions and changes for students ahead of their return to campus in August — the latest semester attempting to return to a ‘new normal’ amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“This marks the start of the third academic year that has been impacted by COVID-19,” wrote the trio, “and our understanding of the virus is greater than ever thanks to the diligent research of our infectious disease experts. Vaccines and boosters are readily available and nearly 80% of our country has received at least one dose. Our health care facilities’ capacity for outpatient treatment has expanded and home test kits allow for rapid identification of cases.”
One of the biggest changes in COVID-19 operations for UNC is directly related to the rise of such testing kits. In May, UNC closed its Carolina Together Testing Center as students left for summer break. A university spokesperson told Chapelboro it was “too soon to say” whether the testing sites would be closed permanently, but Friday’s announcement confirmed a shift and emphasis on home, individualized testing. UNC will not have any mandatory or voluntary testing sites available for individuals and will have at-home test kits available at several locations around campus. While symptomatic testing for students will be available at Campus Health, people can pick up self-tests at Student Stores Pharmacy, the Campus Health Pharmacy and vending machines in the Rams Head market and the Carolina Union.
Campus community members attested to high vaccination rate against the coronavirus in the 2021-22 academic year. UNC said it will still have vaccines available for students through the campus pharmacies and will have a COVID-19 Vaccine Attestation Form available for community members to submit — but it is not required. Re-entry testing, which the university used to mitigate potential spread earlier in the pandemic, is also encouraged but not required.
Students line up for COVID-19 testing at Frank Porter Graham Student Union on November 18, 2020. UNC shut down the Carolina Together Testing Center in May 2022 and said at-home testing kits will be the most readily-available option for those on campus moving forward. (Photo via Jon Gardiner/UNC-Chapel Hill.)
Masking while indoors is also optional for most university buildings and spaces, according to Friday’s release, though the UNC officials say it is encouraged to limit the transmission of the virus. Masks will still be required for those in health care settings, like UNC Health buildings, Campus Health and the Student Stores Pharmacy. Transit services, like Chapel Hill Transit, the P2P line and Safe Ride vehicles, will also require masking from patrons. UNC explicitly stated Friday that students, faculty and staff “should not be penalized if they do not wear a mask in their classroom or office setting where it is now optional.”
For those who do test positive from the virus, through whatever testing method they chose, UNC said students should report their results to Campus Health. The university suggests students living on campus to isolate either at their permanent address or in their residence hall room if they do test positive for COVID-19. Friday’s guidance did not indicate isolation housing will be provided this year — a measure used in 2021 to try and mitigate spread between roommates or other residents, but discontinued this past spring. UNC faculty and staff are asked to report their positive results through the COVID-19 Wellness Check webpage.
UNC’s announcement comes as COVID-19 data indicates an increase in spread across the United States, largely fueled by the newer BA.5 variant of the virus. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services continues to track COVID-19 trends like reported cases, hospital admissions and coronavirus particles in wastewater. The department’s latest update on Wednesday said the BA.5 variant is in its third week of being the dominant strain, with North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper reminding residents on July 19 to “stay prepared for COVID-19 waves.”
Guskiewicz told Chapelboro that the sole amount of COVID-19 cases is no longer the best indicator of spread because of the prevalence of at-home tests.
“So, we don’t really know what the incidence is at any given moment, but what I do know that we will ensure we will have a safe campus community environment,” said the chancellor. “We’ll continue to encourage students, faculty, staff, and those visiting our campus, to take all the precautions necessary to keep us all safe.”
The full COVID-19 guidance shared Friday by UNC leadership can be found here.
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