Everyone must wear face coverings in buildings, and we encourage their use everywhere on campus. Temple will provide masks for staff who need them.

We will install hand sanitizer stations throughout our campuses, along with reminders to avoid touching your face after touching surfaces.

Physical distancing is required on our campuses. We will have reminders on floors and walls of campus buildings asking you to stay at least six feet apart. Classrooms and other spaces will have similar distancing requirements.

The university is asking students leaving the Philadelphia area to stay at their destination through the end of winter break. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released guidance that urges people to avoid traveling for the Thanksgiving holiday.

If a student has no other choice but to return to campus or Philadelphia before Jan. 19, they are expected to comply with city and state requirements for travelers, which include the following and are required by the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. 

• If students are traveling out of state, they must obtain a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours prior to their return to Pennsylvania. 
• If students plan to return to campus, they must upload your negative test result to Temple’s student health portal. 
• Students must quarantine until they receive a negative test result. 
• If students are unable to get a test, the Pennsylvania Department of Health requires them to quarantine for 14 days when they return to the state and before coming to campus. 
• Clinical students in the university’s health science programs may be subject to additional requirements before returning to their placements. 

Failure to follow these protocols could be a violation of the Student Conduct Code and could result in revocation of building access or other sanctions. 

Asymptomatic testing will not be available for students on campus between Monday, Nov. 30 and the beginning of the spring semester in January. During this period, the university will only provide tests for 

• those with COVID-19 symptoms, 
• those identified by contact tracers as close contacts of a positive case and 
• students whose approved clinical work requires a test. 

The best way to prevent contracting and spreading the virus is to practice the four public health pillars. Those who cannot commit to these behaviors—wearing a mask, washing their hands, keeping six feet of physical distance and monitoring their health—must stay home for the health and safety of others.

Temple is ending remaining in-person instruction on Friday, Nov. 20, and transitioning to fully remote instruction for the remainder of the fall semester. Any student who chooses to leave campus for the remainder of the fall semester will have the opportunity to schedule a pre-departure COVID-19 test.

A limited number of these tests will be offered in Mitten Hall from Monday, Nov. 16 through Friday, Nov. 20. Tests are offered by appointment only, and students will receive an email from the university with instructions for scheduling a testing appointment.

Results of these tests are delivered on the same day.

• Students with a negative test result will receive that information via email.
• Students with a positive test result will be called and referred to the Morgan Hall testing clinic for further testing. If necessary, information about isolation will be provided.
• Any student who in the past 90 days tested positive and completed an isolation period does not need to be retested.

It is important to remember that being tested for COVID-19 is not a preventive measure. All members of the university community should adhere to the four public health pillars, before and after being tested. 

If students plan to return to Philadelphia, including to Temple campuses, after fall break, they will need to comply with city recommendations for travelers, which include a 14-day quarantine period.

Learn more about COVID-19 testing on campus.

To further ensure the safety of our community, the university will implement a more robust COVID-19 testing plan for the spring semester. Every student living in a residence hall, enrolled in an in-person course or assigned to clinical rotations will be tested twice a week for the entire semester. Additionally, any faculty or staff member whose work includes routine in-person interaction with students will also be eligible to be tested twice a week. 

Students residing off campus in the neighborhoods surrounding Temple and enrolled in a fully remote course load will be eligible to be tested once a week, and students or employees regularly commuting to campus to use facilities and services will also have the opportunity to be tested once a week. 

The Morgan Hall testing center will continue to test those with symptoms of COVID-19 and those who are designated as a close contact of a person who has tested positive. 

Read more about the university’s testing plans for the spring semester.

All common areas, particularly places that many people touch (such as doorknobs, elevator buttons and railings), are being cleaned with hospital-grade quaternary disinfectant A-456II, which is a product listed by the Environmental Protection Agency as protective against COVID-19. All bathrooms are cleaned and sanitized daily.

As always, if you have a health condition that supports the need for reasonable accommodation, you should contact Temple’s Office of Disability Resources and Services (DRS) for assistance at drs@temple.edu or 215-204-1280.

Yes. Temple enhanced our current campus testing and contact-tracing initiative. Our dedicated team at Student and Employee Health Services has been testing for the virus since the early days of the pandemic, and that work continues today.

We shifted our symptomatic testing site out of the fourth floor of 1700 N. Broad St. and into a space on Cecil B. Moore Avenue, on the street level of the Morgan Hall tower. With its own entrance and a new reservation system, this site allows us to provide local testing to symptomatic Temple students and staff.

Read more about Temple’s new testing site.

In addition, Temple announced a new 10-hour contact tracing training certification course. The Contact Tracing Training Course teaches individuals of broad skill levels how to track the spread of the COVID-19 virus. With enrollment open to all at no or low cost, hundreds have already enrolled in the training, including Temple students, health professionals and members of the public interested in fulfilling this essential role amid the current pandemic. The training is being run by Temple’s College of Public Health.

In the fall 2020 semester, students living in on-campus housing were required to be tested for COVID-19 on the day they moved in or, if their move-in time was after 4 p.m. or on a weekend, on the next business day. All students moving into on-campus housing received an email from the company conducting the tests on campus (from the address info@auratracker.org) to schedule their on-campus tests. Testing during move-in week was conducted at the Aramark STAR Complex, and students were required to bring an ID (either OWLcard or another form of ID) to their testing appointment.

Any residential student who failed to comply with the testing requirement had their access to campus buildings, including residence halls, revoked.

Testing was also conducted on students and staff returning to campus from states identified as “hot” states, which are states that continue to experience high rates of community transmission of COVID-19.

Student and Employee Health Services continues to conduct screenings via telehealth and test those with COVID-19 symptoms, those in high-risk positions and close contacts of cases. If you are identified as having come into close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19, you will be contacted by the contact-tracing team with additional information and next steps.

If you have personal circumstances that lead you to prefer a full or partial online course load, you should consult your academic advisor and/or academic program coordinator, who will be able to assist you.

In September, Temple University suspended in-person courses for the fall 2020 semester.  

Please note that tuition and fees are set regardless of the method of instruction and will not be refunded in the event instruction occurs remotely for all or any part of the academic year.

• Four public health pillars: Everyone must adhere to the university’s four public health pillars (use of facial coverings, frequent hand-washing, adherence to physical distancing and health monitoring).
• Testing and tracing: The university continues to test students, faculty and staff for COVID-19 on campus, and has a robust contact-tracing initiative. Student and Employee Health Services have been testing for the virus since the early days of the pandemic, and that work is continuing. The symptomatic testing operation was enhanced by shifting the test site from 1700 N. Broad St. to a space on Cecil B. Moore Avenue, on the street level of the Morgan Hall tower. Learn more about the university’s testing and tracing initiatives.
• Ongoing university-affiliated travel suspensions: Currently, all university-sponsored, connected or funded international travel by students, faculty and staff is suspended. Domestic travel for all is still strongly discouraged. This decision will be updated based on international, national, state and local guidance. The CDC advises that anyone who has recently traveled internationally should stay home and closely monitor their own health for 14 days upon return to the U.S.
• Changes to physical spaces to facilitate distancing and healthy environments: Plexiglass shields are installed in reception areas to ensure safe separation in places where distancing might be difficult, and reminders to remain at least six feet apart in public areas are affixed to floors and walls in campus buildings. Some seating was removed in public spaces to reduce density in common areas as much as possible. Hand sanitizer stations are installed in campus buildings.
• Preparations to respond to a rapidly changing situation: Responding to the coronavirus pandemic has required the university, like other institutions, to be nimble when it is necessary to preserve the health and safety of our community. The university was ready to pivot to primarily online instruction this fall.

Yes. In-person activities and instruction for the fall 2020 semester will end Nov. 20, at the start of the fall break. The remaining week of classes, study period and finals would then be conducted remotely. 

Doing this will offer several advantages, not the least of which is giving university leadership an opportunity to assess the fall semester’s success, minimize the possibility of a recurrence and finalize plans for the spring 2021 semester.

Learn more about academics and campus life for students and faculty.

Everyone has an important role to play in preventing the spread of the coronavirus and other respiratory illnesses. There are many simple steps everyone can take to keep themselves and others healthy. These include the following.

• Frequently wash your hands using soap and water for at least 20 seconds (the time it takes to sing the “Happy Birthday” song twice).
• Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol in the absence of soap and water.
• Wear a face covering over your nose and mouth when in public places where it is difficult to maintain physical distancing from others (read tips on face coverings from the CDC).
• Adhere to physical distancing guidelines by staying at least six feet away from others in public places and avoiding parties and other large gatherings.
• Avoid touching your face, especially before washing your hands.
• Regularly clean and disinfect “high-touch” items (e.g., cell phones) and areas in your home (e.g., bathrooms, doorknobs).
• Stay home and contact your healthcare provider if you develop symptoms of illness, especially cough, shortness of breath, fever, severe fatigue, gastrointestinal issues, loss of sense of taste or smell, or muscle aches.
• Follow directives issued by the CDC as well as local and state government and health authorities.

COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus, is mainly spread between people when they are in close contact, or within six feet of each other. The virus is spread through respiratory droplets that are produced when a person who is infected coughs, sneezes or talks, and those droplets are inhaled by someone else. Some people infected with COVID-19 do not display any symptoms but can still spread the virus.

If you are sick—especially with symptoms of cough, difficulty breathing, fever or chills, sore throat, shortness of breath, or loss of taste or smell—contact your healthcare provider, Student Health Services (215-204-7500) or Employee Health Services (215-204-2679). Be sure to tell them your symptoms and inform if you believe you may have been in contact with someone with COVID-19. They can further screen you for COVID-19 and, if needed, help you get tested and recommend the next steps you should take.

It is important to note that a positive test will not affect your standing with the university. Our main goal will always be the health and safety of our students, faculty and staff, so that you can continue to work toward your learning goals.

Physical distancing means maintaining a safe physical distance from people outside of your immediate household. Because the coronavirus spreads from person to person in close contact settings, keeping at least six feet of distance from others reduces the likelihood of transmission of the virus from person to person. Physical distancing also means avoiding gathering in groups and staying out of crowded places.

You should wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds (about the length of singing the “Happy Birthday” song twice). Consult this CDC page for more specific guidance on proper hand-washing and hand sanitizing techniques.

The commonwealth is using a three-phase matrix to determine when counties and/or regions are ready to begin easing some restrictions on work, congregate settings and social interactions.

The university is committed to carefully monitoring and responding to new information about COVID-19 and its impacts. In developing and preparing for our return scenarios, it is understood that our plans must be flexible and include contingencies for changing conditions over time. We are prepared to deviate from outlined plans in order to take swift actions to keep our community safe.

A coronavirus is a type of virus that can cause a wide range of illnesses, from the common cold to severe pneumonia. The novel coronavirus at the center of the current epidemic has been named SARS-CoV-2, and the illness it causes has been named COVID-19 (abbreviation for coronavirus disease 2019). This is a new strain of coronavirus.

The most common symptoms of COVID-19 include chills, cough, fever, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhea. Symptoms and their severity vary widely from person to person, and some people infected with the virus may exhibit no symptoms at all but still be able to spread it. If you are concerned you could have the virus, consult the CDC’s symptom self-checker tool, and read more information from Student Health Services.

It is spread through direct contact with saliva or respiratory droplets, similar to a cold or the flu. According to the CDC, person-to-person spread of this coronavirus is most likely to occur with close contact, or contact within six feet, with an infected person who coughs or sneezes.

There is currently no medication to treat or prevent coronavirus. Like many viruses, steps may be taken to manage symptoms caused by coronavirus. Those who become severely ill with the novel coronavirus may require hospitalization.

The novel coronavirus causing the current outbreak of illness has been officially named since the outbreak began. SARS-CoV-2 is the name of the virus itself, while COVID-19, which stands for coronavirus disease 2019, is the name of the illness the virus causes.

Monitoring your health means being vigilant and looking out for the development of any symptoms associated with COVID-19, which may include but are not limited to cough, shortness of breath, fever or chills, body aches, fatigue, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and congestion or a runny nose. You should check your temperature regularly to ensure you do not develop a fever, and contact a medical professional if you do develop a fever or any other symptoms. 

Quarantine is separating people who appear to be healthy but may have been exposed to a contagious illness to make sure that they do not become sick and spread the illness to others. It typically covers the “incubation period” of a given illness, which refers to the period of time between exposure and when symptoms of the illness are known to appear. 

Isolation means keeping people who are sick and contagious separated from people who are healthy to ensure that they do not spread the illness.