July 30, 2021

NC State community,

One of the many lessons we’ve learned over the last year and a half is how quickly things change related to the pandemic. Responding to new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance and state recommendations issued this week, NC State is updating its COVID-19-related safety measures. The updated requirements will remain in effect until further notice.

Vaccines and Providing Vaccination Records

The best way to protect yourself and others is to get your COVID-19 vaccine. All students, faculty, and staff are strongly encouraged to get vaccinated. If you haven’t yet done so, please seriously consider getting your vaccine as soon as possible.

• Student Health Services offers COVID-19 vaccination appointments through the PackVax clinic for students, faculty, staff, alumni, and their immediate families. The clinic is open all summer and fall in Student Health Services. Appointments are available for anyone aged 12 years and older.
• Vaccination records should be uploaded into the HealthyPack Portal. However, if you receive your vaccine on campus, you do not need to upload your records.
• If you received your vaccination off campus, please let the university know as soon as possible. Providing proof of vaccination will exempt you from required weekly surveillance testing and from having to quarantine or isolate, in most cases, as part of NC State’s contact tracing program.

Face Coverings

• Beginning Monday, August 2, face coverings will again be required in all indoor spaces on campus for students, faculty, staff, and visitors, regardless of vaccination status, unless:
  • You are alone in a private, enclosed residence hall room, apartment, or office with the door closed.
  • You are in an enclosed indoor space when only household members are present.
  • You are actively eating or drinking.
• Face coverings are not currently required in outdoor spaces for vaccinated individuals, but they are encouraged, especially in large crowds. Anyone who has not been fully vaccinated should continue wearing a face covering outdoors.
• Face coverings will continue to be required on NC State’s Wolfline buses.

Testing

Beginning Monday, August 16:

• Residents living in university-owned housing (including Greek Village) who have not provided proof of vaccination will be required to participate in weekly surveillance testing on campus.
• Students who have any on-campus classes and/or campus activities who have not provided proof of vaccination will be required to participate in weekly surveillance testing on campus.
• Designated employees working in front-line and face-to-face roles who have not provided proof of vaccination will continue to be required to participate in weekly surveillance testing on campus. Any designated employees who are not currently in the required testing cohort will be notified.
• NC State will continue its voluntary surveillance testing program with student, faculty, and staff participants to broadly monitor COVID-19 presence and spread on campus. Information on how to sign up for the 2021-22 Wolfpack Surveillance Program will be shared soon.
• On-campus testing will also remain available for the NC State community throughout the fall. COVID-19 tests on campus are free and available to all NC State students, faculty and staff. For more information on testing locations and hours, please see our Testing Protocols page.

If you get tested off campus and the results are positive, self-isolate, do not come to campus and self-report here for students and here for faculty and staff. The university will conduct contact tracing and follow you for symptoms. If the results are negative and you are required to participate in a testing program, you can upload your results into the HealthyPack portal.

What’s Next

The updated requirements outlined above, along with additional existing measures, will remain in place as our university transitions through at least the first few weeks of the fall semester. Following CDC guidance, we intend to use county-based community spread data to determine when requirements can be lessened or lifted. Please regularly visit the Protect the Pack website for the most up-to-date information.

At NC State, we are committed to doing all we can to help ensure a positive, engaging, and safe on-campus experience for our students, faculty, and staff. Each of you is an important part of this Wolfpack and plays a critical role in keeping our community strong. Thank you for doing your part to keep yourself healthy, look out for one another and protect the Pack.

Randy Woodson
Chancellor