COVID-19 update

Lafayette students,

Although we recognize that the COVID-19 landscape changes rapidly, we feel confident about our planning for the spring semester. We need your cooperation on a few key aspects.

Pre-arrival testing
Yesterday, all students who are not currently on campus or scheduled to arrive after Jan. 15 received an email with instructions to sign up for pre-arrival testing. The process is simple and requires you only to click on the link, complete the setup for Aura, and sign a consent for testing. This is all that needs to be done at this time. The pre-arrival test kits will be sent via overnight shipping on or around Jan. 13 to the address indicated when creating an Aura account. This will allow enough time for you to take the test and return it to have a result within 72 hours of your arrival date. An Aura account must be completed by Jan. 12. If not, a pre-arrival test kit will not be shipped to you.

The Aura app and pre-arrival test kits can only be used within the United States. If you are outside the U.S. now and indicate such when registering, we will follow up with you around Jan. 13 about how to schedule your arrival test.

Likewise, students who indicate they had a recent COVID-19 infection will receive specific followup from us next week.

Students currently on campus or who arrive before Jan. 15 will receive instructions on how to create an Aura account once the pre-arrival kits are shipped. You will not sign up for pre-arrival or arrival testing.

Arrival testing
On or around Jan. 12, the app will populate with arrival testing slots. We will send a reminder the evening before the scheduler opens. You must have an Aura account in order to access the arrival schedule, so do not delay in activating your account. All students not currently on campus will sign up for an arrival slot in the app. That is all you need to do. Testing is available Friday, Jan. 21, Saturday, Jan. 22, and Sunday, Jan. 23, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. You must arrive at the time you select. There will not be times available beyond what is listed. 

Boosters
In December, we announced the decision to require COVID-19 vaccine boosters for all eligible members of our community. Eligibility is determined by only two factors:

• Are you past the specific period of time for your initial series (six months for Moderna, five months for Pfizer, two months for Johnson and Johnson)?
• Are you free of recent COVID-19 exposure or, if you’ve been exposed, are you at least 10-14 days past any symptoms?

If you can answer yes to both of those questions, you must get a booster by Feb. 1. We are not extending the deadline for boosters post a recent infection beyond the CDC guidance for when the booster can be obtained. 

If you have a booster scheduled and test positive for COVID-19, you should cancel. Reschedule for a period that is as close to 10-14 days past the resolution of symptoms as possible. We acknowledge that during the initial COVID-19 vaccination efforts, individuals were encouraged to delay immunization for as much as 90 days post-infection; however, the guidance from the CDC does not include this language, and our own conversations with public health experts do not require this delay. 

We appreciate your full cooperation in taking these important steps that will help preserve our on-campus learning environment.

We will send reminders and updates, as well as updated campus protocols, as the semester draws closer.

Be well and stay safe,

COVID-19 Action Group
covid-19@lafayette.edu