W&J’s COVID-19 Response

Effective at the end of the day on Friday, April 15, the College will move to a mask optional policy for all public indoor spaces including classrooms, the Clark Family Library and other academic spaces. If a physician has advised you to avoid mask optional spaces, please contact Academic Affairs (academicaffairs@washjeff.edu).

We also support and respect any individual who wishes to continue to wear a mask in public settings for their personal health and safety. Please continue to carry a mask with you and be respectful of any individual who requests that masks be worn in their presence. In some instances, you may be asked to wear a mask when in individual meetings or in larger group settings.

We are continuing to monitor both the CDC guidelines and the safety conditions in the City of Washington and Washington County. These guidelines may need to change quickly depending on information from these outlets.

We will continue to utilize our diligent cleaning methods in all common area campus spaces. Cleaning and sanitization materials will be available in common area spaces (classrooms, building lobbies, and offices), as was the case during the past year.

Each member of the W&J community will follow the Commitment to Community agreeing to monitor one’s health and to follow the guidelines set forth by the College designed to promote the safety and security of our collective community.

Our decisions about safety precautions (social distancing, wearing masks, hand washing, etc.) will be governed by CDC and PA Department of Health guidelines. The Student Code of Conduct in the 2021-2022 Student Handbook has been posted and contains additional information.

As of April 12, 2022, students and employees who have an approved vaccination exemption are no longer required to participate in weekly surveillance testing. However, symptomatic students who live on campus can request a Covid-19 test from Student Health & Counseling. Symptomatic individuals who do not live on campus, including employees, should stay home and contact their health care provider for testing.

If you plan to travel personally, you do not need to register your personal travel plans with W&J. We encourage all W&J Community members to follow recommended travel guidelines according to State of Pennsylvania, U. S. Department of State, and the CDC guidelines.

Prospective students can visit campus while following our campus guidelines. The W&J Admission team can share guidelines with visiting students and their families.

The Department of Campus and Public Safety has implemented a registration system for departmental visitors, vendors, and contractors that allow us to know when these guests are on our campus. We ask all of these visitors to complete the  CPS Visitor Information and Registration.

Residential students are limited to two visitors at a time, as noted in the Student Handbook, due to fire code guidelines. At this time, we do not require proof of vaccination for individuals to visit our campus. All visitors to our campus are expected to follow our policy of masking inside academic buildings. We expect that anyone experiencing symptoms of COVID will refrain from visiting campus.

W&J will follow CDC and PA DOH guidelines to determine whether and how we can hold various sized events. These will be considered on a case-by-case basis.