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As always, our highest priority is protecting the health of our students, faculty and staff. The best way we can achieve that is for everyone in our community to get vaccinated as soon as possible. Vaccination is simply the most effective protection against COVID-19. Even with the omicron variant, vaccination and boosting helps prevent the onset of severe illness, hospitalization and death, and stop the spread of the virus. By getting vaccinated, you will not only be providing a crucial safeguard for yourself, but you will be contributing to the wellness of everyone else. Vaccines are free and available on the Atlanta Campus.
What You Need to Know
We strongly recommend all members of our community wear well-fitting face coverings with good filtration while indoors, even if they are fully vaccinated. The system continues to work closely with the Georgia Department of Public Health to prioritize the health and safety of our campus communities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that everyone — whether vaccinated or not — wear face coverings while on our campuses.
Isolation
If you test positive for COVID-19, everyone (regardless of vaccination status) must:
- Isolate at home for five days from the date symptoms first appeared or, if asymptomatic, the date of the positive test. Stay away from others in the household as much as possible during isolation.
- After five days, if you have no symptoms or your symptoms are resolving and you have not had a fever for more than 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication, you may end isolation. If symptoms are not improving or fever has not resolved, you should continue isolating until these criteria are met.
- After ending isolation, you should continue to wear a mask around others for five days.
Quarantine
If you have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 and you are:
- Boosted, or have become fully vaccinated within the last six months (Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine) or within the last two months (Johnson & Johnson vaccine):
- You do not need to quarantine at home.
- You should wear a mask around others for 10 days.
- If possible, get tested on day five.
- If you develop symptoms, get tested and isolate at home until test results are received, then proceed in accordance with the test results.
- Unvaccinated, or became fully vaccinated more than six months ago (Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine) or more than two months ago (Johnson & Johnson vaccine) and have not received a booster:
- You must quarantine at home for five days. After that, continue to wear a mask around others for five additional days.
- If possible, get tested on day five.
- If you develop symptoms, get tested and isolate at home until test results are received, then proceed in accordance with the test results.
- If you have come into close contact with someone with COVID-19 and you have had confirmed COVID-19 within the last 90 days (you tested positive using a viral test) you do not need to quarantine.
The Office of the Dean of Students will provide verification for all professors at the request of students when seeking excused absences for documented medical/health-related and emergency circumstances. This process helps protect confidential documents while providing additional support to professors and students. Final decisions regarding absences and coursework/exam management are still determined by each individual professor following established institutional/college/departmental guidelines. Students should submit documentation to https://deanofstudents.gsu.edu/student-assistance/professor-absence-notification/. If a student needs to miss class due to illness, faculty are encouraged to assist students with access to class information for any courses missed.
COVID-19-Specific Leave
COVID-19-specific leave for isolation and quarantine is no longer available.
- Employees who must isolate or quarantine due to COVID-19 illness or exposure may telework during this time with the approval of their supervisor. The nature of their position influences whether an employee is able to telework since some positions are not able to be performed remotely.
- Any change in the modality for a class requires the approval of the Provost’s Office. Change in modality is subject to an end date and is correlated to isolation or quarantine timelines.
- Department chairs will make arrangements for class coverage when faculty are unable to teach due to illness.
- Fully vaccinated individuals do not have to quarantine.
- When telework is not possible, employees who must isolate or quarantine due to COVID-19 must use their accumulated leave to be away from work.
Department heads or their designees have the authority to establish teleworking arrangements. Telework should not be considered an employee right or entitlement. Telework requests and designations are based upon management discretion and in accordance with the determination of what best serves the university and its students.
Georgia State will continue to provide vaccine availability for faculty, staff and students. You can schedule a vaccine here. The vaccination site on the Atlanta Campus is the Student Health Clinic, with parking available in the W Lot.
Getting your COVID-19 vaccine at Georgia State means you can receive an e-gift card for $50, good for redemption at any of a number of retailers of your choice, for each dose you receive.
When receiving your shot, simply scan your PantherCard to receive an email with your unique Giftogram code. Visit Giftogram.com/redeem to enter the code and redeem your gift amount.
From there, you can select which retailers you’d like to shop. At checkout, enter your Panther email and first and last names. Once your order is complete, your e-gift card(s) will be available from the checkout screen and emailed to the address provided.
Students, faculty and staff are eligible for a $50 e-gift card with each vaccine dose they receive. Click here for full terms and conditions.
Students, faculty and staff who have been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19 are not required to quarantine if they have been fully vaccinated against the disease and show no symptoms.
In accordance with University System of Georgia guidance, campus events and gatherings will resume as normal.
Georgia State personnel may travel domestically as needed while continuing to follow appropriate safety protocols.
International travel remains heavily restricted by many foreign governments, and there are COVID-19 testing requirements for entry into the United States. State Department travel information can be found at:
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/before-you-go.html.
Faculty who wish to travel internationally for conferences or research should follow Georgia State travel request processes and confirm country entry requirements and those set by the airline. Faculty planning travel to level 3 or 4 travel advisory countries will be prompted to obtain approval from their chair and dean after submitting a travel request in Panthermart.
Students who wish to travel internationally for study abroad or exchange programs should follow the guidance of the Office of International Initiatives. International students planning to travel should follow the guidance of International Student and Scholar Services.
Georgia State will follow COVID-19 guidelines of the Sun Belt Conference.