Clemson University students and staff who are fully vaccinated and asymptomatic will no longer be required to quarantine if exposed to COVID-19, according to an email sent by Student Affairs on Wednesday. Individuals will still be required to isolate if they test positive for the virus.
The change comes after the university launched its voluntary vaccine upload tool early last week, allowing students and staff to report that they have been vaccinated against COVID-19. Once an individual uploads their proof of vaccination to the tool, they are considered exempt from the quarantine requirement.
For those not vaccinated, the isolation and quarantine requirements are still in effect. Individuals who are exposed to a known positive case of the virus must quarantine for at least seven days. On day seven, the individual can “test out” of quarantine.
At this time, testing and social distancing requirements for fully vaccinated individuals are still in effect.
This update to the university’s COVID-19 procedure aligns with CDC guidelines for fully vaccinated people without COVID-like symptoms. The CDC recommends that fully vaccinated individuals should still quarantine following an exposure if they begin to experience symptoms.
The university is not requiring students or staff to get vaccinated in order to return to campus this fall, according to an April 9 letter sent by Provost Bob Jones. However, university administration including President Jim Clements are strongly encouraging people to get vaccinated whenever they can.
“Having a large percentage of our campus population vaccinated will help make us all safe and will enable us to have a more normal academic year,” wrote Clements in an April 16 message.