Community members are responsible for periodically reading the information provided by Brown University to remain aware of up-to-date guidance on continued preparedness, action and response to COVID-19, and ways to prevent its spread. Policies provided by the University are based on recommendations from the CDC, OSHA and RIDOH.

Brown community members will be provided with information regarding how to comply with this policy to ensure a safe working and learning environment for themselves and their colleagues. Reasonable accommodations will be made for community members with disabilities and underlying health conditions as necessary and appropriate.

Current University policy regarding face masks and coverings for vaccinated and unvaccinated Brown community members and visitors and guests can be found on the University’s COVID-19 Campus Activity Status page.

Guidance regarding face masks and coverings may change from time to time based on public health conditions and guidance from CDC and RIDOH. The campus community will be informed and expected to comply with mask requirements as communicated on the University’s COVID-19 Campus Activity Status page, University signage and information in buildings and elsewhere, direction from University officials (including at events), and other means by which the University disseminates current information regarding face masks and coverings policy.

Reasonable accommodations will be made for community members with health conditions preventing them from wearing masks.

Members of the community who have a medical or religious exemption to the vaccine requirement that has been approved by University Health Services or UHR will receive individual instructions regarding health and safety measures they must follow.

Brown University visitors and guests must comply with all guidance, direction and requirements regarding mask wearing, including at events.

Any member of the community who is not otherwise required to wear a mask may voluntarily choose to wear a mask in any setting at any time and for any reason (including personal and community protection against seasonal flu and colds). This personal choice must be respected. As with vaccination status, no one should ask another individual about their personal choice to wear a mask.

All Brown community members must stay home from work, class and/or other University events and functions if they are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19¹. Brown community members should maintain a log of close contacts to aid in the event of contact tracing due to a positive test or possible exposure.

All Brown community members who have tested positive for COVID-19 must contact their medical provider (University Health Services for students). Employees must also inform UHR. Further information for staff regarding sick leave and related matters can be found in the University’s Paid Time Off Policy.

• Individuals who are diagnosed with COVID-19 must self-isolate. Employees must immediately notify UHR of their diagnosis and continue following the guidance of their health care provider; students must immediately notify University Health Services. The identity of anyone testing positive will be kept confidential by UHR and University Health Services and will only be shared by designated contact tracers who will notify RIDOH, contact tracers employed or contracted by the University, other employees or contractors of the University on a need-to-know basis, and any other person or entity as required by law.
• Individuals must not return to work, classes and/or other University events or functions until they complete the University's isolation requirements.

Any individual who has been exposed to COVID-19 and is not Up to Date with COVID-19 Vaccines must seek medical attention as soon as possible to determine if they need to be tested for the virus and/or meet the requirements for quarantine.

Any individual traveling to Rhode Island must follow the State of Rhode Island travel requirements, which can be found at covid.ri.gov.

All faculty and staff must notify UHR if they test positive for COVID-19 or if they are contacted by RIDOH due to exposure and are not Up to Date with COVID-19 Vaccines.

• Faculty and staff with any positive test result are advised to contact their primary care provider and must report their positive test result to UHR per the instructions on the Healthy Brown website.
• In consultation with UHR, employees will be informed of immediate next steps to take relating to their work responsibilities. UHR will receive and monitor inquiries throughout normal business hours (UHR Contact Information).
• Supervisors must notify their property manager (Facilities Management or other), so appropriate facility cleaning and disinfecting can be coordinated.
• The identity of anyone testing positive must be kept confidential. No personal identifying information can be shared, only that there is a positive case in an office, floor or building so that preparations can be made to clean the facility as recommended by the CDC.
• If closing of spaces is necessary, critical access will be handled on a case-by-case basis as directed by EHS.

All students must notify University Health Services via the Health and Wellness Patient Portal if they test positive for COVID-19 or if they are contacted by RIDOH due to exposure and they are not Up to Date with COVID-19 Vaccines. Students will be directed to isolate from others. Information can be found on the Health Services website with regard to steps students can take when they are sick.

Facilities Management and other property managers will clean and disinfect common spaces and high-touch surfaces in these spaces; however, all Brown community members must take responsibility for promoting safe hygiene practices, including vigilant hand washing and cleaning (sanitizing) of classrooms, laboratories, work stations and other office areas, especially including common work areas, surfaces and equipment, such as shared printers and copiers. The University increased the frequency of cleaning across campus, but individual behavior is critical to reducing the risk of spread for all community members.

All faculty, staff and students and others, regardless of vaccination status, as determined by the University (collectively “testing program participants”) are required to undergo COVID-19 testing at times and dates established by the University to determine if they have the virus and to allow the University to estimate the incidence of infection in the Brown community. Testing program participants will receive instruction from the University regarding test type, testing requirements, and frequency.

Current University COVID-19 testing protocols can be found on the Healthy Brown website. The testing program may be updated periodically based on public health conditions and guidance from CDC and RIDOH. The campus community will be informed of testing program updates via the Healthy Brown website.

• Testing and/or health monitoring may occur prior to a participant’s return to campus, as a condition of the testing program participant’s continued work or presence on campus, and at any other time at the sole discretion of the University. In addition, the University may administer routine testing of faculty, staff, students and others. The routine testing will allow a better understanding of the incidence of COVID-19 in the Brown population.
• Testing costs and any expenses related to testing of participants through this program will be covered by the University.
• The University and the testing company will maintain the confidentiality of a participant’s COVID-19 test results and will only share a test result with the individual tested, RIDOH, contact tracers employed or contracted by the University, other employees or contractors of the University or the testing company on a need-to-know basis, and any other person or entity as required by law. The name of an individual who tests positive for COVID-19 will only be disclosed to others if necessary to prevent a direct threat to health and safety in accordance with applicable law.
• The University will ensure that these mandatory testing requirements are applied in a consistent, non-discriminatory manner in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations.
• Test results will be maintained in a secure and confidential medical file that is separate from an employee’s personnel or student’s academic file.
• Non-exempt employees will be compensated for time spent traveling and waiting for the administration of a test. Testing times will be coordinated with work shifts when appropriate.
• Testing program participants should note that testing only reveals if the virus is currently present. A negative test does not mean that the individual will not acquire the virus later. Therefore, even if an individual tests negative for the virus, individuals must continue to comply with all requirements in the COVID-19 Campus Safety Policy to help ensure a safe campus environment for themselves and their colleagues/peers.
• Failure to comply with these mandatory testing requirements will disqualify an employee or student from being on campus and may subject an employee or student to discipline, up to and including termination of employment for employees. Students may be subject to non-academic discipline through the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards (see Section 6.0).

In order to provide and maintain a safe work environment, Brown requires Up to Date COVID-19 Vaccines for all employees (faculty, staff, postdoctoral scholars, visiting researchers, lecturers, and seasonal and intermittent staff) working at any Brown owned, leased or managed premises and/or engaging in any in-person work with other Brown employees, students, or visitors. This policy is based on guidance from the CDC, OSHA, RIDOH, and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

All employees must:

• Provide proof they have received a full course of a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or World Health Organization (WHO) authorized COVID-19 vaccine; and provide proof they received a COVID-19 booster dose within thirty (30) days of becoming eligible; or
• Obtain a medical or religious exemption approved by Brown with a reasonable accommodation. The process for requesting an accommodation for either medical reasons or based on a sincerely held religious belief, practice or observance is set forth below.

Employees who do not fulfill one of these two requirements will be placed on leave without pay, family and medical leave, or other employment status, and their status will be evaluated periodically.

To establish that employees are Up to Date with COVID-19 Vaccines, employees must provide proof of vaccination by following the instructions on the Healthy Brown Website.

Brown will assist employees in obtaining vaccines by providing on-site access to immunizations or identifying sites where employees may receive vaccinations (e.g., pharmacies, State locations). Employees may take work-time to obtain their vaccinations. Vaccines are free of charge.

For an employee who has a disability or who has a qualifying medical condition that contraindicates the vaccination, or who objects to being vaccinated on the basis of a sincerely held religious belief, practice or observance, Brown will engage in an interactive process to determine if a reasonable accommodation can be provided to perform the essential functions of the job so long as it does not create an undue hardship for the University and/or does not pose a direct threat to the health or safety of others in the workplace and/or to the employee.

To request an exemption and reasonable accommodation, go to the UHR Website for information regarding how to complete the Request Form and submit it through Workday. After receipt of the Request Form, UHR or other appropriate personnel will determine whether the employee qualifies for an exemption and engage in an interactive process with the employee to identify a reasonable accommodation.

No one, including supervisors, should ask an employee about their vaccination status. UHR is tracking vaccination status of all employees and Student Health Services is tracking vaccination status of all students.

This policy may be revised from time to time based on updated guidance issued by the CDC, RIDOH, OSHA, EEOC and WHO.

Brown requires all students who will be on campus or engage in any level of in person instruction, whether in the U.S. or abroad, and all Brown students who are engaged in on-campus activities (education, jobs, research, or engaging in any in-person education or work with other Brown employees, students, or visitors) to be Up to Date with COVID-19 Vaccines.  

All students must:

• Provide proof they have received a full course of a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or World Health Organization (WHO) authorized COVID-19 vaccine; and provide proof they received a COVID-19 booster dose within thirty (30) days of becoming eligible; or
• Obtain a medical or religious exemption. Medical and religious exemptions will be granted and reasonable accommodations provided under applicable law.

To establish that students have a Up to Date COVID-19 Vaccines, students must provide proof of vaccination by following the instructions on the Healthy Brown Website.

Students who are not vaccinated and do not qualify for a medical or religious exemption will be required to study remotely without permission to access campus. Information about requesting exemptions is provided to students from University Health Services.

No one, including faculty, instructors, coaches or supervisors, should ask a student about their vaccination status.

Visitors and guests are allowed on campus without specific approvals or permissions, subject to the following provisions and expectations:

Visitor and Guest Vaccine Requirement: Visitors to Brown, whether researchers, faculty, students or others, who are engaged in any sustained and consistent in-person contact with other Brown employees, students or visitors are required to be Up to Date with COVID-19 Vaccines in accordance with Sections 3.2.7 and 3.2.8 of this policy. Any visitor of this type who is not Up to Date must engage with the University virtually. Exemptions for medical or religious grounds do not apply to visitors to the University. However, if the visitor is an individual with a disability, the individual may seek a reasonable accommodation.

Categories of Visitors: Given the range of types and lengths of visits to the campus, the implementation of the vaccination requirement may vary across programs. In general, visitors fall into three categories:

1. long-term (usually a semester or more although sometimes for shorter periods of time and with an appointment in Workday): Required to upload documentation of Up to Date COVID-19 Vaccines into Workday prior to beginning work at Brown;
2. short-term (four full days over the course of a month or more, but without an appointment in Workday): Required to sign a University vaccination attestation form that they are Up to Date with COVID-19 Vaccines;
3. limited-duration (visits of three days per month or less): not required to sign a vaccination form; and they must abide by the COVID-19 Campus Safety Policy and any requirements specific to the facility or program they are visiting (e.g., health care or medical research settings with indoor mask requirements).

Campus Tours: Participants on campus tours conducted by the Office of College Admission are limited-duration visitors.

Additional information and guidance regarding vaccination requirements for visitors and guests, including links to the vaccination attestation form and information regarding seeking a reasonable accommodation for an individual disability, may be found on the Healthy Brown Website.

Mask Protocols: Visitors and guests must comply with all University mask requirements. Current University policy regarding face masks and coverings for vaccinated and unvaccinated Brown community members and visitors and guests can be found on the University’s COVID-19 Campus Activity Status page.