UNC students don’t have to get a COVID vaccine, but it will allow them to skip testing
UNC-Chapel Hill students who are vaccinated will not have to participate in asymptomatic COVID-19 testing this fall, the university announced Friday.
In a message to students, the Carolina testing team said getting a vaccine offers protection from the virus and helps ensure “a typical, in-person experience at Carolina this fall.”
UNC-CH and other UNC System universities are not requiring COVID-19 vaccines for students, but they have been strongly encouraging all students and employees to get vaccinated throughout the spring semester. All Duke University students returning to campus must be vaccinated.
As students log onto ConnectCarolina to enroll for Fall 2021 classes next week, they will be asked to verify that they have or have not received the COVID-19 vaccine. They also can decline to answer.
Vaccinated students will be asked to fill out a self-report form with the date and type of vaccine they got, unless they were vaccinated at the campus clinic or have already filled out the form. Students can change their status on the certification at any time once they are vaccinated.
Students who have not been fully vaccinated or choose not to answer on the form must participate in the Carolina Together Testing Program. UNC will share more details about the requirements and frequency of testing closer to the beginning of the semester. Unvaccinated students will be required to move to quarantine and isolation housing if they test positive for COVID-19 or are identified as a close contact of a positive case.
Vaccinated students who live on campus and have no symptoms will not have to move to quarantine housing if a close contact tests positive.
Students, employees and their household members can get a free COVID-19 vaccine on campus at the Carolina Vaccination Clinic located in the Student Stores Pharmacy.
“Getting the vaccine is the best tool to return to what matters most to you and your Carolina experience next year,” the message said, “so please take the time to get it.”
This story was originally published May 28, 2021 at 6:32 PM with the headline "UNC students don’t have to get a COVID vaccine, but it will allow them to skip testing."
