All students returning to live on campus at Michigan State University or attend classes in person next month will be required to get a flu shot and submit to routine COVID-19 testing.
MSU President Samuel Stanley outlined the new requirements in a letter to campus on Thursday.
The flu shot mandate applies to any students living in or visiting any MSU facility during the spring semester. Students must obtain the flu vaccine and provide proof that they received it before returning to campus with a process still being finalized.
Stanley encouraged all faculty and staff to receive a flu shot, as well, but it is not required for them.
“This flu season brings additional challenges, including exacerbating COVID-19,” he wrote. “A flu vaccine this season is an additional, critical measure we all should take to protect ourselves and others.”
Students returning to East Lansing will be asked to quarantine for 10 to 14 days. They should only leave their residences to seek medical care, purchase food or exercise outdoors during the quarantine period.
Spring semester classes are scheduled to begin Jan. 11 and Stanley asked students to take the quarantine period into account while deciding when to return. That means students should arrive no later than Jan. 1.
MSU will begin mandatory COVID-19 testing of all students living on or visiting campus by Jan. 4. Students should expect to receive saliva tests for the coronavirus. Administrators are finalizing an accountability plan to make sure students meet the requirement.
Faculty and staff are urged to participate in regular COVID-19 testing during the semester.
“These protections and protocols we established to keep all of us and our community safe are truly effective if every single one of us adheres to them,” Stanley wrote.
