Proof of COVID-19 vaccination is no longer required at the University of Maryland, according to a campuswide email Thursday.
“At this time, COVID-19 vaccines and treatments are widely available, and most of the population has reached a sufficient level of immunity, thereby reducing the impact of the virus,” University Health Center Director Spyridon Marinopoulos said in the email.
The university previously required proof of a full dose of vaccination, including a booster shot against COVID-19.
The University System of Maryland does not have a systemwide vaccine mandate for the 2023 spring semester, according to Mike Lurie, USM’s media relations and web managerike Lurie.
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“Individual USM universities have the authority to establish health and safety policies that take into consideration institution-specific factors,” Lurie wrote in an email to The Diamondback. “For this reason, policies may differ between different USM universities”.
About 95 percent of Prince George’s County residents who are at least five years old have at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to the Maryland Department of Health.
This university’s decision comes as governments are moving to a new phase of the pandemic. The federal government plans to scrap its national and public health emergency declarations in May.
COVID-19 vaccines are still strongly recommended on the campus, the email said.
