Ramapo College Requires COVID Booster For Students And Staff
MAHWAH, NJ — Ramapo College officials added a new element to their return-to-campus protocols for the spring semester, and it'll mean an additional COVID-19 vaccine dose for many.
Students and employees at Ramapo College are now required to receive a COVID-19 vaccine booster by Feb. 28, college officials announced on Monday.
The vaccine requirement may be the big story, as debates over vaccine mandates continue across the country, but it's far from the only change to campus life during the spring.
"We will include booster requirements, testing, contact tracing, strict adherence to face covering protocols, adoption of the latest CDC isolation procedures, and the prohibition of food and drink at large gatherings," said Ramapo College President Cindy Jebb, in a letter to the college community.
The college has also suspended guest and visitation, as well as social gathering policies at all campus residence halls and apartments. Spectators will also not be allowed at Ramapo College sporting events, Jebb said.
"All of these actions, taken together via an integrated approach, provide us with an opportunity to mitigate campus transmission and thus contribute to the health of our surrounding communities," she added.
This comes after some college employees began operating remotely after their winter break ended in preparation for the return of students to campus on Jan. 17. Remote operations began on Jan. 3 and come to an end on Tuesday. Read more: Ramapo College Will Operate Remote Upon Return From Winter Break
Students will indeed return to campus in-person, but all residential students will be required to show proof of a negative test result in order to return to residence next week.
Exempted residential students, and student athletes, are required to test twice per week. Exempted commuter students and employees are required to test once per week.
The full letter can be read here.
On Monday, New Jersey State Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli said the state health department expects the omicron surge to peak in the next several weeks.
"We do believe we are going to have high levels for a couple weeks," Persichilli said during Governor Phil Murphy's press conference Monday. "Again, it is a prediction based on assumptions."
Persichilli added the state expects to see 20,000 to 30,000 daily cases for the month of January. She said the models change daily.
On average last week, more than 5,000 New Jersey residents were in the hospital on any given day, the highest number of people hospitalized since May 2020.
Read more: COVID Surge May Peak In NJ This Month, Health Officials Say
This article originally appeared on the Mahwah Patch
