COLUMBIA, S.C. — The University of South Carolina announced that students and employees must turn in proof of vaccination against COVID-19, a negative test for the virus, or have had the disease before returning to campus for the fall semester, WPDE reported.
The university sent a letter to students on Friday with the new guidelines.
According to the letter, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention projects there will be surges in COVID-19 infection rates and the delta variant in the fall. Officials said the delta strain is more easily transmitted and has already been detected within the USC campus.
“This is why we must continue to take this virus seriously and work together to reduce its spread by employing scientifically proven mitigation strategies, such as vaccination,” the letter says. “In alignment with guidance from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, we strongly encourage you to get vaccinated if you haven’t already done so to protect yourself and others.”
Students living on campus and off campus, as well as faculty and staff members must provide the following before the fall semester:
- A negative COVID-19 PCR or antigen test conducted no more than 10 days prior to arrival to campus.
- Proof of prior positive COVID-19 infection within the last 90 days.
- A completed COVID-19 vaccination record.
Face coverings will also be required on shuttles, buses and others forms of university transportation, and in the Center for Health and Well-Being and Thomson Student Health Center.
(Watch Below: Some students seek exemptions after Lenoir-Rhyne requires COVID vaccinations)
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