News

UMass Amherst is updating COVID-19 pandemic policies to align with new state and federal practices

The co-directors of the campus Public Health Promotion Center welcome everyone back from winter break and provide key aspects of health policies for the spring semester. 

The Arcaro and Osborne labs in Veterinary and Animal Sciences are collaborating with the IALS Clinical Testing Center (ICTC) to conduct a study designed to evaluate the effectiveness of the COVID-19 bivalent booster and are seeking volunteers to donate a few drops of blood (via a small finger prick) and saliva. 

Co-directors of the Public Health Promotion Center write to the campus community with information on public health preparations for the Fall 2022 semester, including the campus' ongoing response to COVID-19 and guidance on monkeypox. 

The Public Health Promotion Center announces service transitions for COVID-19 testing on the UMass Amherst campus. Unobserved PCR testing will end Friday, July 29. Starting Monday, Aug. 1, University Health Services will make PCR tests available to those in the UMass community with symptoms or known exposures, and offer elective testing for a $25 fee.

Everyone visiting campus must follow campus COVID-19 health and safety requirements. People experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 should not to come to campus.

As the university looks ahead to commencement activities, the campus is closely watching COVID-19 cases. UMass Amherst is fortunate that the campus community is highly vaccinated and that individuals testing positive are experiencing minimal-to-moderate symptoms of infection, and hospitalizations have remained extremely low.

As the university looks ahead to this weekend’s commencement activities, the campus is closely watching COVID-19 cases. To protect yourself and others, the campus strongly encourages all graduates and guests to wear a face covering when attending any indoor commencement events, regardless of vaccination status.

As classes for the semester ended this week, we would like to wish all students taking their final exams a strong and successful finish to the semester. For the past two weeks, in addition to the PCR unobserved testing kits available at the Public Health Promotion Center (PHPC), faculty, staff and students can pick up self-test antigen test kits at the PHPC. 

Starting last week, in addition to the PCR unobserved testing kits available at the Public Health Promotion Center (PHPC), faculty, staff and students can pick up free, at-home antigen test kits. The PHPC vaccine clinic closes for the spring semester today and will reopen in early June.

In addition to the PCR unobserved testing kits available at the Public Health Promotion Center (PHPC) in the Campus Center, starting today faculty, staff and students can now pick up free, antigen self-test kits.