Dear Northeastern University students,
We look forward to welcoming you to one of our global campuses for the spring term. Now is the time to plan for a safe and healthy arrival. This includes getting a COVID-19 test 72 hours or less prior to your arrival on campus. Do not travel to campus if you test positive, if you have had exposure to someone with COVID-19, or if you are experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19. Please follow your local public health directives to self-isolate or quarantine before you travel to campus.
VACCINATION FOR STUDENTS AT U.S. CAMPUSES
As previously announced, all students at U.S. campuses must receive a booster shot by no later than January 18, 2022, or seven days after becoming eligible (eligibility may be determined by a physician after a positive result). Upload proof of your booster shot by logging in to the Vaccine Verification form where you can provide documentation.
TESTING ON THE BOSTON CAMPUS – DAY OF ARRIVAL For the safety of our entire community, students at the Boston campus are expected to be tested for COVID-19 upon arrival to campus for classes or move-in. Please make an appointment at the Cabot Testing Center for the day of your arrival. The testing center does not take walk-in appointments. Please refer to the Center’s hours of operation—linked on the Wellness Portal and the Test Scheduler homepage—to make an appointment. Weekly testing continues to be required for all members of the Northeastern community.
Visit our guide for new and returning students and the first-time testing guide for the step-by-step testing process.
If you have recently tested positive off-campus, please report it on the Daily Wellness Check and submit your positive test result on the Wellness Portal as soon as possible. The Northeastern Wellness Team will then contact you about next steps. You will be exempted from the weekly testing requirement for 90 days following the positive test. Antigen or PCR test results are accepted and must include your name, date of birth, test date, and test result in a single document.
If you tested positive using an at-home test and do not have any documentation of your positive result, please report it on Daily Wellness Check, even if it has been more than 10 days, and email contact-tracing@northeastern.edu to let the Wellness Team know that you do not have documentation. You will be asked to follow the regular testing cadence and will be exempted from isolation if you test positive and you do not have symptoms.
CHANGES IN ISOLATION PROTOCOL
Part of managing COVID in its endemic stage includes moving beyond the approach of isolating students who test positive. Our vaccination and booster requirements will allow students to isolate in their rooms—either on or off-campus. Many students will be asymptomatic or exhibit only mild symptoms. Wellness Housing will not be available; however, a small number of rooms will be prioritized for medical emergencies. Clinicians from Tufts Medical Center will continue to provide COVID-19 related telehealth services and care to our students who test positive.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has shortened the recommended isolation period for individuals with COVID-19 from 10 to five days, if the individual has no symptoms or their symptoms are resolving (without fever for 24 hours), followed by 5 days of wearing a mask when around others (both indoors and outdoors).
Additionally, all students should follow these guidelines:
We appreciate your efforts to keep each other and our communities safe. We will continue to monitor the situation as it evolves and update the university’s guidance when necessary.
If you have questions, please refer to the new FAQs available here or contact NUCOVID19Qs@northeastern.edu.
Sincerely,
Kenneth W. Henderson Chancellor and Senior Vice President for Learning