Regular COVID-19 updates for the LR community.
Please Note: COVID-19 protocols will be reviewed and updated on a regular basis. Please check this website frequently for the most up-to-date information.
Regular COVID-19 updates for the LR community.
Please Note: COVID-19 protocols will be reviewed and updated on a regular basis. Please check this website frequently for the most up-to-date information.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, LR provided weekly updates on cases on campus and other related information. While LR is now operating in a COVID-19 management environment, we will continue to provide you with updates and information throughout the academic year.
The best protection against COVID-19 is to be updated on your vaccines and to wear a mask indoors around others when in larger groups. In addition, LR highly recommends you get the COVID-19 booster when eligible and the flu shot.
COVID-19 vaccines, including all booster shots, are strongly recommended for students, but are not required. *See note below about specific program requirements
Being up to date on COVID-19 vaccines, including having all recommended booster shots, determines quarantine guidelines and can reduce the risk of severe disease and hospitalization.
The new bivalent vaccine contains the original formulation and carries a recipe against the BA.4 and BA.5 variants, the most contagious versions of the virus. The CDC indicates the BA.5 variant accounts for 90 percent of cases in the US.
The new vaccine booster is available locally at pharmacies, as well as at various health departments including Catawba County (Hickory), Buncombe County (Asheville) and Richland County (Columbia). Faculty, staff and students who have completed two shots of the vaccine are eligible to receive the new booster 60 days after their last vaccine.
If you have been infected by COVID, the CDC recommends you wait 90 days to take the booster to maximize your immune system. Those who have not had the COVID vaccine will need to get the initial shots before the new booster.
*Please note that students in the School of Nursing (RIBN, RN-BSN, BSN, MSN, DNP) are required to be vaccinated to meet the requirements of clinical sites.
*Please note that students in some programs, including community health, exercise science, Master of Public Health, dietetic internship, and occupational therapy may be required by their clinical sites to be vaccinated and boosted. If the student is unable to attend experiential learning at a pre-arranged site, there may be a delay in completing the experience, which will delay progress to graduation. Additionally, some study abroad programs may require students to be vaccinated and boosted.
As announced on May 26, 2023, Lenoir-Rhyne no longer requires the COVID-19 vaccine for faculty and staff. This decision was made after careful consideration of the latest public health guidance and in consultation with our medical experts.
While LR no longer requires the vaccine, we strongly encourage all members of our community to get vaccinated and stay current with boosters. The vaccine has been shown to be safe and effective at preventing severe illness and hospitalization, and it is an important tool in ending the pandemic.
The new bivalent vaccine contains the original formulation and carries a recipe against the BA.4 and BA.5 variants, the most contagious versions of the virus. The CDC indicates the BA.5 variant accounts for 90 percent of cases in the U.S.
The new vaccine booster is available locally at pharmacies, as well as at various health departments including Catawba County (Hickory), Buncombe County (Asheville) and Richland County (Columbia). Faculty, staff and students who have completed two shots of the vaccine are eligible to receive the new booster 60 days after their last vaccine.
If you have been infected by COVID, the CDC recommends you wait 90 days to take the booster to maximize your immune system. Those who have not had the COVID vaccine will need to get the initial shots before the new booster.
Masks remain optional with the following exceptions:
While masks are not required except as noted above, anyone who feels more comfortable wearing a mask on campus is encouraged to do so, as it is the best method for prevention in addition to vaccines.
Students, faculty and staff are expected to provide their own masks for use in those situations where they are required.
Antigen rapid COVID-19 testing is available at all three campus locations and is free to faculty staff and students. Appointments are required for the Asheville and Columbia campus locations; walk-in testing is available on the Hickory campus Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. in Room 100 of the McCrorie Center.
If you test positive for COVID-19, you must report that to the appropriate person.
Anyone who is exposed or tests positive for COVID-19 should continue to report their case to the appropriate person.
This information will allow us to continue to monitor trends on campus and perform contact tracing, if necessary.
Residential students who test positive are required to return home for their required isolation. We may be able to provide some temporary housing for those students who test positive, but live further distances away from campus.
We also will provide quarantine rooms on a limited basis for those residential students who are exposed to the virus but who are not up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines. The CDC defines “up to date” as having all vaccines and boosters for which a person is eligible. For example, someone who is unvaccinated or fully vaccinated but not boosted would have to quarantine for five days and be tested if exposed to the virus.
Thank you for your support and adherence to our policies. We are looking forward to a successful fall semester.
We consult with local, regional and state public health officials, including the Catawba County Health Department and the N.C. State Department for Health and Human Services, and reviewed the updated Centers for Disease Control guidelines. They all support a switch from required to strongly recommend the vaccine. The national public health emergency around COVID-19 also officially ended in the United States on May 11, 2023.
We will continue to monitor COVID-19 on campus and nationally to determine if changes are required. As we have since the beginning of the pandemic, we will make data-based decisions using feedback from local, state and regional public health departments and guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control.
Anyone who tests positive for COVID-19, regardless of vaccination status, must adhere to the following:
Residential students who test positive will be required to return home for their isolation period. We may be able to provide some temporary housing for those students who test positive, but live further distances away from campus. We also will provide quarantine rooms on a limited basis for those residential students who are exposed to the virus but who are not up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines.
Anyone who has been exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 must adhere to the following, depending on your vaccine status:
Note: The CDC defines “up to date” as having all vaccines and boosters for which a person is eligible.
Yes. To help us monitor COVID on campus, please report a positive test or exposure to the following:
Given the reduced restriction on mass transit travel from the CDC, students using mass transit will follow the same protocols for return to campus.
It is highly recommend you wear an appropriate mask during your travel using mass transit, even though not always required.