Washington, D.C. (Tuesday, December 29, 2021) – As COVID cases rise in the DMV, Howard University is moving to delay the start of the Spring 2022 semester for undergraduate and graduate students.  The new start date is now Tuesday, January 18th.  University administrative operations will begin as scheduled on January 3rd 2022.  The university released the following statement on the changes:

In response to this new variant and rise in cases, all faculty, staff and students will be required to receive a COVID-19 booster by Monday, January 31, 2022, if you are already eligible for a booster, or within 30 days after becoming eligible. Approved medical and religious exemptions will continue to be granted.

Booster vaccines are available on campus on the first floor of the Howard University Hospital; Freedmen’s Hall; on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9am to 3 pm. No appointment is necessary. Students should continue to upload vaccine documentation in MedProctor. Employees should upload vaccine documentation in Workday.

We are also requiring that everyone returning from winter break to the campus for the Spring, 2022 semester will be required to provide proof of a negative PCR test within 4 days prior to arrival.  We will continue our weekly testing policy along with requirements for mask usage indoors, and in groups outdoors.

The new changes for Howard comes as the highly contagious omicron variant is wreaking havoc across the country and right in the heart of the Metropolitan Washington area.  Just this past Christmas holiday weekend, the DMV reported nearly 50k new cases and over 40 deaths from COVID.