Information for Fall 2022

August 16, 2022

As we prepare to start another academic year, Purdue University is continuing to provide resources and guidance to help the campus community protect themselves and others against COVID-19.

Since returning to a residential campus experience earlier than most at the beginning of the pandemic, Purdue has been a leader in navigating COVID-19. We have done so because of the individual responsibility that our students, faculty and staff have owned versus relying on strong mandates. We will continue to follow this pathway with the start of the 2022-23 academic year, and we need you to continue to play your part. 

Campus healthcare leaders continue to monitor closely the evolving situation with the omicron subvariant. Those cases being reported locally continue to suggest very mild or mild severity. To our knowledge, there have been no additional hospitalizations reported related to COVID-19 from the Purdue community during the summer months.

Purdue does not have immediate plans to resume routine COVID-19 surveillance testing for students and employees at the West Lafayette campus. That said, we will continue to monitor case numbers, severity, and wastewater virus levels to determine if there is a need for on-demand targeted testing for individuals and groups who may be at higher risk for spreading the virus.

We will continue to make data-driven decisions regarding campus COVID-19 policies. Current planning for the fall semester will rely heavily on personal responsibility of each Boilermaker. Guidance for the upcoming fall semester can be found here, and we will continue to monitor and adjust this guidance as needed. 

Below is some information you might find helpful as we enter the 2022-23 academic year. All public health protocols for our campus community are subject to change if the need arises – such as a surge in the severity of cases or new variants emerging.

Testing

  • At this time, there are no pre-arrival testing requirements for students. However, students are encouraged to monitor for symptoms and test for COVID-19 if they think they have been recently exposed before and after arriving to campus.
  • Students who are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 and need to schedule a test can do so through the Purdue University Student Health Center. At-home COVID-19 tests will be available, at no charge, at each university residence main desk as well as in the over-the-counter (OTC) product vending machines located around campus. If a student tests positive with an at-home COVID-19 test, they can email the Protect Purdue Health Center at pphc@121.health for assistance with absence notifications or isolation.
  • Faculty and staff who are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 and need to schedule a test can do so through the Center for Healthy Living or their primary care provider.
  • If you test positive with an at-home test, students, faculty and staff can calculate their individual isolation periods through the CDC calculator.

Vaccines

  • If you haven’t done so already, we encourage anyone fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to submit proof of vaccination.
  • While being vaccinated against COVID-19 is not required, it is highly encouraged. 
  • If you need to schedule a vaccine or booster, students can do so through PUSH. Faculty and staff can schedule a vaccine or booster through the CHL.

Quarantine and isolation 

  • If you have had a known exposure to COVID-19, please follow the latest guidance from the CDC.
  • The University has a limited amount of housing space available for isolation and quarantine during the 2022-23 academic year. Students should have a personal plan for proper quarantine and isolation should it be necessary in the event that on-campus accommodations are not available at any given time. Information regarding quarantine and isolation resources can be found here.
  • Faculty, staff and students should follow the current isolation and quarantine protocols from the CDC and can calculate their quarantine and isolation period through the CDC calculator. 

Masks

  • There are no masking requirements in place at this time. Purdue students, faculty, staff and visitors may choose to further protect themselves by continuing to wear a high-quality mask at any time, and their decision to do so should be respected by all. 
  • High-quality masks (N95 or KN95) continue to be readily available for purchase from suppliers. Departments can purchase them through Ariba catalogs or through the Fisher Scientific storerooms located at Lilly Hall of Life Sciences and Wetherill Laboratory of Chemistry.

Adhering to the revised Protect Purdue Pledge and protocols will allow us to operate safely, openly and actively. Please review the current visitor, event and travel guidelines related to Protect Purdue. Any updates to these policies will be communicated to the campus community.

As we have done over the course of the past two-plus years, the Protect Purdue Medical Advisory and Protect Purdue Implementation teams continue to be guided by the latest science and medical expertise. Ongoing wastewater surveillance testing for COVID-19, which is being conducted in collaboration with the city of West Lafayette, is being monitored and will be used to inform whether changes to our protocols are warranted. In addition, we continue to work closely with local healthcare systems and the Tippecanoe County Health Department. 

With all of this in mind, the primary goal for our Purdue community is to do everything we can to begin the semester healthy and strong – for yourselves and your fellow Boilermakers. 

Thank you for all you will do to help us have a healthy and safe semester.