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COVID-19 Guidelines

Guidelines for all in the community

  • To learn how to protect yourself and others review VDH and CDC recommendations
  • The university strongly encourages COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters. Visit Vaccinate Virginia for vaccination sites in the commonwealth. 
  • Masks are welcome, but are not currently required in any university facilities. Do not attend work or gatherings in-person if you are sick. Test if you suspect COVID-19.
  • Employees are encouraged to visit the VDH website to find free COVID-19 testing sites throughout Virginia.
  • If you are advised that you are a close contact of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, visit the VDH’s what to do if you have been exposed to COVID-19 website for information.

Guidelines for employees

  • If you have been exposed to or tested positive for COVID-19, review VDH guidelines for what to do after exposure or  if you are sick. Contact a primary physician or local health department for more information.
  • Do not attend work or events at Virginia Tech for at least five days or as long as you are sick. Follow the university’s sick-time policies. 
  • If you feel able to work and your position allows you to work remotely, please coordinate with your supervisor, dean, or chair as appropriate. 

Guidelines for students

  • Schiffert Health Center will serve as the best resource for care and information.
  • The university does not offer isolation/quarantine housing, and will not move COVID-19 positive students from their rooms. Therefore, it is critical that all residential students work with their families and their roommate(s) to develop a plan in advance should they or their roommate become infected with COVID-19.
  • If you or your roommate(s) become infected with COVID-19:
    • Those infected should immediately begin wearing a mask if symptomatic for COVID-19 and continue doing so in all campus facilities—including inside the residence halls (including rooms) for ten days and until symptoms improve.
    • Execute your COVID-19 isolation plan; students may choose to return home while they or their roommate is positive for COVID-19

Guidelines for faculty responding to student illness

  • Virginia Tech students who test positive for COVID-19 need to isolate and not attend in-person classes for at least five days. Visit the VDH’s Isolation & Quarantine website for additional information.  Students should seek absence verification from the Dean of Students.
  • Please accommodate students who need to miss class for a short period of time, as with any other illness. If you have a group of students who are out, you might consider recording lectures and/or using other means to provide instructional content.
  • It is essential that faculty respect the medical privacy of students who have tested positive for COVID-19 or have been identified as a close contact. Please do not share with the class that a student is in quarantine or isolation, nor make testing or other recommendations based on that information. 
  • Resources are available for facilitating student access to academic activities in virtual environments. Visit Continuity in Teaching and Learning to learn more.