No booster? Students may be barred from registration, free movement on campus.
George Washington University has threatened to restrict registration access for students who do not receive a booster shot by March 15.
The university also announced that failure to get a COVID booster may affect facility access permissions set on student IDs.
George Washington University has become the latest school to require a booster shot for returning students. However, this new mandate is now affecting whether or not students will be eligible to register for classes.
In a December 13 announcement, the university announced that students must receive a booster shot before February 1, 2022 or be subjected to weekly testing.
Students who do not provide proof of vaccination by March 15, 2022 will not be eligible to enroll in summer or fall classes.
Furthermore, faculty who miss the deadline will be subjected to a warning message followed by “subsequent employment action.”
The announcement clarified that the mandate will not apply to those who have a medical or religious exemption.
In addition to the booster, students will also have to participate in on-campus testing in order to revive GWorld card activation, which is the student’s ticket for campus access. The policy was implemented throughout the fall semester, as well, which limited access to campus buildings to students not in compliance with vaccination policy.
Students who fail to provide proof of a negative test by January 5 will have a hold placed on their card, limiting their ability to move about campus.
Campus Reform reported on a similar policy at Salisbury University, where students and faculty were required to show proof of vaccination prior to being admitted entrance to campus.
[RELATED: College with 96% vaccination rate mandates booster shots]
George Washington University is located in the heart of the nation’s capital, Washington D.C, where 4 cases of the Omicron variant have been confirmed as of Sunday, according to WTOP News.
“The presence of the Omicron variant does not change the public health measures we have implemented to protect the health of our campus community nor does it change the measures we take to treat and isolate individuals who are infected,” George Washington University’s Dec. 13 statement stated.
Washington D.C currently has a vaccination rate of 65.2%, with 82.3% being either fully or partially vaccinated.
Campus Reform has reached out to GWU for comment, and the article will be updated accordingly.
