Please refer to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resource Center for the full list of frequently asked questions and more information about health and safety and University operations.
I have received or am going to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Will I need to continue wearing a mask, participating in the Georgetown COVID-19 testing program, and completing the COVID-19 Daily Check-In?
Yes. At the moment, the University’s health and safety measures apply to everyone on campus and students living in the Georgetown, Burleith, and Foxhall neighborhoods, including those who have been vaccinated. While the vaccines are effective in providing protection from COVID-19 (the disease), it is as yet unclear whether they prevent infection with the virus that causes the disease (SARS-CoV-2) or the transmission of the virus from one person to another.
For these reasons, it remains critically important for everyone, even those who have received the vaccine, to continue to practice ALL public health measures. These include wearing a mask, keeping a distance of at least six feet from others, washing hands regularly, avoiding social gatherings, participating in the University’s COVID-19 Testing Protocol, and following isolation and quarantine recommendations.
Further, at this time, the District of Columbia has not updated its standing orders requiring masks to exempt those who may have received the vaccine and, accordingly, we will continue to enforce this requirement. The new CDC guidelines about small gatherings without the need for protective measures are applicable ONLY to those who are fully vaccinated, only to indoor settings and not a mixing of multiple households.
I have been vaccinated and recently been exposed to somebody who tested positive. Do I still need to quarantine?
According to CDC guidelines regarding “fully vaccinated people,” vaccinated persons with an exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 are not required to quarantine if they meet all of the following criteria:
- Are fully vaccinated (more than two weeks have passed since you received the second dose in a two-dose series (Moderna or Pfizer) or a single-dose vaccine (Johnson & Johnson) AND
- You have remained asymptomatic since the current COVID-19 exposure
Persons who do not meet all of the above criteria should continue to follow current quarantine guidance.