COVID-19

    Updated March 9, 2023

    Dear St. Olaf Community,

    Three years ago, the college entered the first phase of our response to COVID-19. Since then, we’ve prioritized your health and safety while delivering the best possible St. Olaf experience through all the ups and downs of this pandemic.

    With vaccines and effective treatment options widely available, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is preparing to sunset the federal Public Health Emergency in early May. This academic year, cases on campus and in the broader community have thankfully remained low.

    As a result, it’s time to enter a new phase. In consultation with our public health experts, we are making the following changes to our COVID-19 policies, effective today:

    1. The college will no longer require COVID-19 vaccinations or boosters for students, faculty, staff, volunteers, independent contractors, and staffing agency employees. However, the college strongly recommends that all members of our campus community remain up to date with COVID vaccines, per CDC guidance.
    2. The college strongly recommends that incoming students and new employees have completed the primary COVID vaccine series before beginning their studies or work on campus.
    3. Through May 31, 2023, students, faculty, and staff should continue to report positive COVID-19 cases using our Health Reporting Form. We are required to submit our case numbers to the Minnesota Department of Health through the end of the academic year, but we anticipate that the state’s requirements will shift for the 2023-24 academic year. Case managers remain available this spring to support students who report positive cases.

    As we transition into this new phase, all members of our community should continue to follow the public health practices we’ve become accustomed to in recent years: stay home if you are sick and follow CDC guidance on COVID-19. The college remains ready to adapt and respond if conditions change.

    Together we have thus far successfully managed our way through COVID. Thank you for your continued flexibility, diligence, and care for one another.

    Regards,

    David

    David R. Anderson ’74
    President
    St. Olaf College