Dear UMBC Community,

Yesterday we received notice from the University System of Maryland that Higher Education employees participating in face-to-face instruction or working on the physical campus are now eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine under Phase 1B and Phase 1C of Maryland’s COVID-19 vaccination plan. Currently this applies to faculty, staff, and frontline contractual workers, not students. Students may be eligible for other groups based on age or if they work in healthcare settings.

Unfortunately, this eligibility does not mean you will automatically be able to receive a vaccine, as different counties have different levels of availability and distribution timelines. Vaccine supply remains very limited despite more Marylanders becoming eligible. 

We encourage all community members to sign up for the vaccine registry created by their local county health department. Any UMBC employee may also register with theBaltimore County Health Department, even if they do not live in Baltimore County. Please indicate that you are a higher education professional. Individuals who sign up should receive a scheduling notice from their health department when a vaccine is available.

We also wish to clarify that, at this time, it is vital that individuals who have received either one or both doses of a vaccine and are approved to be on campus comply with current UMBC testing, symptom tracking, and other requirements. This is based on federal and state recommendations designed to limit virus transmission. More information about the public health reasons that inform this decision can be found on our newvaccine webpage. We will also update this website as we learn more about vaccine availability and distribution.

Thank you for your continued commitment to keeping our community safe and healthy. If you have questions or concerns, please reach out to us at covid19@umbc.edu.

Provost Philip Rous

Vice President for Administration and Finance Lynne Schaefer

COVID-19 Planning Coordinating Committee Co-Chairs

Key Points

• Faculty, staff, and commuting students who wish to test on campus January 26 - 29 can now schedule their test.

• We are working to categorize everyone who is approved to be on campus so that you can receive specific instructions about your testing schedule for the rest of the semester.

• Continue to check your COVID Compliance Card in your myUMBC profile.

Dear UMBC Community,

Updates for Spring Entry Testing

If you are expected to be on campus before March 1, you need to complete testing and submit a negative test result at the start of the semester. Faculty and staff who participated in testing from January 2 ﹘ 9 are not required to participate in this pre-semester testing period. Residential students will receive testing instructions separately from Residential Life.

Faculty, staff, and commuting students can now schedule an on-campus testing appointment. Please make every effort to sign up as soon as possible. You may also test off campus; options are detailed here. 

All community members who are currently approved to be on campus will receive an email from MarylandGenomics (MG Scanner Mobile) with instructions on downloading an app and a QR Code unique to you. You will need this information to test throughout the semester.  

Ongoing Testing Throughout the Semester

Based on your campus access status, we will be assigning everyone approved to be on campus to different categories and different testing schedules. You will see your designation in your COVID Compliance Card in your myUMBC profile by Friday, January 29. 

Groups and testing schedules include:

Group A ﹘ Residential studentsliving on campus will test twice a week throughout the entire semester except during spring break.

Group B ﹘ Pre-approved faculty, staff, and commuting students who come to campus two or more times a week and have shared work spaces and/or close interactions. This group will test twice a week throughout the entire semester.

Group C ﹘ Student athletes and coaches follow a unique testing schedule approved by the NCAA and the university. It includes regular testing at least twice a week.

Group D ﹘ Pre-approved faculty, staff, and commuting students who come to campus on average once a week OR come to campus less regularly but have a high risk situation that includes shared work space or interaction with others on campus. This group will be tested less frequently with the goal of accessing rapid antigen testing when feasible. More details will be provided directly to this group as the situation evolves.

Group E ﹘ Faculty, staff, commuting students, or other visitorswho come to campus for a one-time visit OR who visit once a week or less and do not have shared work space or interaction with others. If not already approved to be on campus, anyone in this category must first obtain approval from their supervisor and the Chief of Police to visit campus. We will share additional information on this process and testing guidance soon. In general, testing will not be required unless there will be exposure to others for more than 15 minutes.

After your COVID Compliance Card is updated with a group designation, if you believe that you have been assigned to an incorrect group, please speak with your supervisor. You can also contact covid19@umbc.edu.

Additional Compliance Requirements

Please remember that all community members who are approved to be on campus must complete the online symptom tracker every day, seven-days-a-week, starting 14 days before arrival. Please be sure to review all the campus access requirements. 

Thank you for your continued commitment to keeping our community safe and healthy. If you have questions or concerns, please reach out to us at covid19@umbc.edu.

Provost Philip Rous

Vice President for Administration and Finance Lynne Schaefer

COVID-19 Planning Coordinating Committee Co-Chairs

Key Points

• All community members approved to be on campus will need to submit a negative test result

• Free testing will be available on campus

• Individuals who come to campus regularly should be prepared for more frequent testing during the semester

• Continue to check your COVID Compliance Card in myUMBC

Dear UMBC Community,

We hope that you had a restful and relaxing break. Please review these requirements for accessing campus at the start of the spring 2021 semester. This email details testing requirements for the beginning of the semester; we will share additional details on COVID testing for the remainder of the semester next week. 

Residential students returning to campus

All residential students will undergo COVID testing during spring residential move-in, January 22-25, and again approximately four days later. Students should check their emails regularly for their appointment time and specific instructions. If you do not receive an email by the end of today, January 15, please contact Residential Life. Residential students will also complete regular testing throughout the semester and should expect additional guidance next week. 

All other faculty, staff, and non-residential students

If you are approved to be on campus for the spring semester, you will need to submit a negative test result before February 2, the first day of in-person classes. You may take an off-campus test between January 25 and February 2 and submit your results using this form. 

We will also be providing free on-campus testing January 26-29. Details and a link you can use to schedule an appointment will be posted here when available. 

This pre-semester testing period is optional but not required for faculty and staff who participated in testing January 2-9.  

Please check your COVID Compliance Card in your myUMBC profile to see if you are currently approved to be on campus. All faculty teaching and students enrolled in in-person classes are automatically added to the list of community members approved to be on campus.

For staff returning to campus, if your profile indicates you are not approved to be on campus, you and your supervisor should complete the Return to On-Campus Work Application. If you have already been approved and are continuing for the spring, you do not need to re-submit the risk assessment and can indicate “on file” on the justification form. If this is the first time you are applying to work on campus, your supervisor should review and complete the entire Return to On-Campus Work approval process.

Compliance for community members approved to be on campus

All community members who are approved to be on campus must complete the online symptom tracker every day, seven-days-a-week, starting 14 days before arrival. All students, faculty, and staff are required to complete the Return to Campus COVID Awareness course if they have not already done so, and students will need to sign the Retriever Community Agreement if they have not already done so in the fall.

Testing and online symptom tracking are among our most powerful tools for keeping the entire community safe. We will be actively monitoring compliance during the spring semester and enforcing a range of actions for individuals who are not in compliance, including loss of access to campus. You may check your compliance status at any time on your COVID Compliance Card. 

Ongoing testing throughout the semester

While we are still working with public health experts to finalize our testing plan for the remainder of the semester, individuals who come to campus regularlyshould be prepared for more frequent testing. If you no longer wish to have access to campus, please complete an Opt-Out form. 

In addition, at this time, individuals who have received a COVID-19 vaccine will still need to participate in symptom tracking and testing. 

We recognize that this is a fluid and evolving situation and are actively working on developing policies and procedures that take advantage of the most current public health guidance and resources available to us. We appreciate your continued commitment to the health and safety of our community. If you have questions or concerns, please reach out to us at covid19@umbc.edu.

Provost Philip Rous

Vice President for Administration and Finance Lynne Schaefer

COVID-19 Planning Coordinating Committee Co-Chairs