COVID-19 Guidelines for Fall 2022

Dear Parents,

We invite you to read the email below that was just sent to students regarding Wheaton’s COVID-19 guidelines for the coming year.

Sincerely,

The Parent Engagement Team
Wheaton College
wheaton.edu/parents

Dear Students,

We look forward to your arrival on campus soon and pray for God’s joyful blessings throughout the coming academic year.

While recognizing that COVID-19 variants will continue, we are beginning to move from a pandemic posture to an endemic response. This means returning to a self-managed approach to health. Our campus guidelines will be similar to those we have always followed for annual flu viruses or other recurring illnesses. Individual students will again be responsible for self-isolating when sick and for other personal-care decisions.

Please note: we advise all arriving students to bring 5 to 10 at-home COVID-19 test kits to campus. Individuals may request free at-home tests through www.covid.gov/tests. Most individuals with public or private health insurance are eligible to receive up to eight tests per month for each individual on the plan.

Students who test positive for COVID-19 after arriving on campus will isolate in their campus residences or at home. Going forward, it will be the student’s responsibility—not the College’s—to notify any close contacts, including roommates.

Students with COVID-19 will pick up their own meals at the dining hall via “grab and go” and will need to wear a face-covering indoors when doing so. Any student who tests positive using an at-home test kit must contact Student Health Services for a confirmation COVID-19 test before they can receive a five-day Notice of Absence for classes.

Students who feel symptomatic before the semester begins and did not participate in Passage should test negative for COVID at home before coming to campus. Any student who tests positive for COVID-19 before arriving should stay home and notify Student Health Services. If needed, Student Health will provide a Notice of Absence to faculty for students who arrive late to campus due to a positive test.

With the expiration of the Illinois Executive Order requiring weekly testing for unvaccinated students, Student Health Services will no longer conduct weekly surveillance testing of unvaccinated students. Unvaccinated and vaccinated-but-unboosted students who learn they are a close contact may continue attending classes in-person, assuming they test negative every day for 5 days. All close contacts should test at the first sign of symptoms, regardless of vaccination status. Wheaton encourages but does not require students to keep current with CDC COVID-19 vaccination recommendations.

Please send any COVID-related questions to covid19@wheaton.edu or call (630) 752-5224 to leave a message. We will respond as quickly as we can.

Grace and peace,

COVID-19 Leadership Team