Mayor Muriel Bowser announced this week that the District will relax certain aspects of the indoor mask mandate that have been in effect since July. The mandate will continue in certain circumstances, including in universities, libraries, and congregate facilities such as University residence halls.
The Catholic University of America will continue to implement this requirement on campus. All faculty, staff, and students will need to wear a mask whenever they are in a shared space indoors. People who work alone in an office will not need to wear a mask, unless someone enters for a conversation or a meeting.
We continue to work with the DC Department of Health to assess all University policies and guidelines with regard to COVID-19. If there is an opportunity to lift the mandate, we will assess it and revise the policy when circumstances warrant.
The best protection against COVID-19 is vaccination. We continue to encourage all members of our community to take this step. Other effective ways to protect yourself and others include wearing a mask, washing your hands, and maintaining an appropriate social distance.
Thank you for all you do to Keep Catholic Safe.
All University employees are required to verify vaccination status or request religious or medical exemption by Dec. 17. The University's vaccine mandate, as communicated by the President's email November 2nd, is in response to the Executive Order 14042.
There are legal challenges to the OSHA Vaccination Standard, but the OSHA rule does not apply to institutions that are already obliged to mandate the vaccine under the Executive Order. The University continues to implement the vaccination mandate as announced.
You can verify your vaccination status, request a religious exemption, or upload a medical exemption through Cardinal Station. You may also show proof of vaccination in-person at the Office of Human Resources in Leahy Hall during office hours.
Additional information is available on Catholic University's Human Resources website.