By Mili Chizhik, News Editor
On Friday, March 12, an announcement was made by Assistant Dean of Students Sara Asher to the YU student body that COVID-19 safety regulations on campus will be changing due to the changes to the NYS travel quarantine regulations.
Quarantine will not be required for domestic travelers starting April 1. However, international travelers will still be required to quarantine and those students must quarantine as part of the Hotel Quarantine program after the Passover holiday. These students would be required to do this regardless of past infection, tests, or vaccinations, and they would be able to get out of quarantine after seven days if they receive a negative test three to five days after they traveled or they can simply quarantine without tests for 10 days. In order to travel to the U.S., according to the CDC, all individuals must provide negative test results no more than three days prior to travel or proof of a positive COVID-19 test result within the previous 90 days.
Students who will be in the Hotel Quarantine program should be arriving by April 5 in New York and YU will provide COVID-19 tests for those in the hotel from the third to fifth day so students can leave on quarantine day seven. Those who have questions should contact Rabbi Josh Weisberg at josh.weisberg@yu.edu for more information about the Hotel Quarantine program.
All students, whether vaccinated or not, must submit a negative COVID-19 PCR test prior to their arrival onto campus even if they do not travel. However, students (not including those traveling internationally) who have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 90 days are not required to submit a negative test result and must provide proof of a positive case. All students’ IDs will be deactivated over the Passover break and individual IDs will be reactivated once the negative COVID-19 PCR test results have been submitted to covidstudentline@yu.edu.
All shiurim and classes will be remote from the beginning of Passover break and in person classes will resume on Monday, April 12. The residence halls will be closed from 10:00 a.m. March 25 to 10:00 p.m. April 4.