Loyola won’t require masks for vaccinated students, faculty, and staff this fall

Loyola+sign+sits+in+the+grass+in+front+of+Marquette+Hall

A Loyola sign sits bathed in sunlight outside Marquette Hall.

Madeline Taliancich

Fully vaccinated individuals will not be required to wear masks or social distance on campus this fall, according to Chief Student Affairs Officer Alicia Bourque in an email.

This email came a week after Loyola announced that it would be requiring vaccines of all students this fall.

Bourque reminded students to submit their vaccination record to Loyola’s COVID-19 portal by July 16; otherwise, there will be a public health hold placed on their account. Students who do not submit their vaccination record or exemption request by this date will not be allowed to move onto campus or attend in-person classes until the hold is removed, according to the email.

Students wishing not to get the vaccine are required to continue to follow CDC guidelines for unvaccinated individuals and may not be permitted to remain on campus in the event of a COVID-19 outbreak, according to Bourque. Bourque said these students will have to submit a request for exemption that includes a 300-word personal statement if opting out for religious or philosophical reasons and documentation from a doctor with a licensed healthcare provider’s signature if for medical reasons.