The Touchdown statue by Teagle Hall sports an N95 respirator on March 17, 2020. (Boris Tsang/Sun Photography Editor)
Earlier today, university administrators announced the end of the COVID-19 immunization requirement in a university-wide email.
The policy is scheduled to end on May 20, 2023, the end of the spring semester. New students, staff, and faculty “will not need to provide proof of vaccination prior to beginning their studies or employment,” per the email. Cornell students and staff will also not have to “obtain a medical or religious exemption.”
University provost Mike Kotlikoff, Vice President for Student and Campus Life Ryan Lombardi, and Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer Christine Lovely cited recent analysis from Cornell’s COVID-19 modeling team. The analysis found that “mandating vaccination for the fall 2023 semester would not result in a substantial reduction in the spread of infection.” The team pointed to “existing vaccination rates, recovery from previous infection, and rapidly evolving variants.”
In the email, administrators still urged the Cornell community to “follow CDC guidelines and stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccination.” They said, “Vaccination was an important element of our strategy to keep our campuses safe during the height of the pandemic and continues to provide protection against severe disease.” Masks and free antigen test kits remain accessible for members of the Cornell community.
The university began to significantly ease its public health measures in 2022. In March 2022, it loosened its masking policies, only requiring them in classrooms, transit, and healthcare facilities. Cornell ended its classroom mask mandate in July 2022, with only the COVID-19 vaccine requirement remaining. With the mandate set to expire at the end of the semester, Cornell’s pandemic-era measures have come to an end.
