Effective July 11, UNMC will no longer require weekly testing for faculty, staff and students who have been exempted from its COVID-19 vaccination requirement, which was implemented last fall.
Individuals, however, should understand and follow the requirements of their clinical placement site as some still might require weekly testing and other precautions for those exempted from their vaccination requirements. Should UNMC resume testing at any point, those impacted will be notified directly.
UNMC has required weekly testing since fall 2021, when it added a COVID-19 vaccine requirement for all faculty, staff and students as a condition of employment or admission. At that time, individuals could request an exemption based on a recognized medical reason, sincerely held religious belief or pre-approved, 100% remote agreement. Individuals who were granted an exemption were required to test weekly.
Beyond the testing change, UNMC leaders remind faculty, staff and students of what’s not changing:
- Employees and students still must be vaccinated against COVID-19 or apply for and receive a religious or medical exemption. This includes new hires and new students.
- To be compliant with the policy, individuals must have received one dose of a single dose COVID-19 vaccine (such as Johnson & Johnson) or both doses of a two-dose COVID-19 vaccination series (such as Moderna or Pfizer) and document it in the health tracking system.
- Booster doses have not been added to the policy, but faculty, staff and students are strongly encouraged and expected to receive all booster doses for which they are eligible. Information on booster doses is available on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. Walk-in doses are available at Nebraska Medicine pharmacy locations or can be scheduled at some of Nebraska Medicine's health centers; details are available here on the Nebraska Medicine website.
- Masks currently must be worn in all public, common and patient-facing areas across UNMC and Nebraska Medicine campuses. They are not required when alone in an office or room with a closed door, in individual library study rooms, or when eating indoors if distanced, or outdoors.
- For conference rooms and auditoria, individuals can unmask if the number in the room is 40% or less of the room capacity and all individuals are socially distanced. Socially distanced room capacities for some rooms are available online.
- If you have been exposed to COVID-19 and are experiencing symptoms, it is recommended that students contact the Student Health clinic serving their campus and employees contact Employee Health at 402-552-3563 and their designated college administrator or supervisor for guidance on returning safely to campus.
- Saliva testing at Williams Science Hall on the Omaha campus will remain available through the end of September to UNMC faculty, staff and students who are not sick and want to be tested for COVID-19 for any reason. View details and testing options for all UNMC locations.
- Have questions? Email healthsecurity@unmc.edu.