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Delaware State University to require booster for all students

Brad Glazier
/
Delaware Public Media

Delaware State University is requiring COVID-19 booster shots for all students to return to campus for the spring semester.

DSU also announced the semester scheduled to begin on January 10 will start with virtual learning. In-person classes will be delayed two weeks.

“The booster does not provide maximum effectiveness until two weeks after it is administered, and the University wants its students as fully protected as possible before they arrive on campus atthe beginning of the semester," said Dr. Michelle Fisher, Associate VP of Campus Health.

In a statement, the university says this move is being made is in light of the significant increase in Omicron variant cases nationally and around the world.

DSU consulted its health experts and partners from Testing for America to implement these measures.

Unless they have a university approved religious or medical exemption, those without the booster shot will not be permitted on campus during the spring semester.

Faculty and staff are expected to get a booster as well.

“While COVID-19 continues to disrupt our normal business, the University’s nimble, science-based approach has served us well since the pandemic’s earliest days, keeping case counts low by using the best tools at our disposal, including required vaccination, mask wearing, regular testing, and contact-tracing protocols,” DSU President Tony Allen said in statement.

In a letter to the DSU community, Allen noted there will be a virtual meeting to discuss the situation on Tuesday, December 28 at 11 a.m. That meeting will also be available on the university's COVID landing page, along with a Q&A.

DSU will make booster shots available on campus throughout January.

Joe brings over 20 years of experience in news and radio to Delaware Public Media and the All Things Considered host position. He joined DPM in November 2019 as a reporter and fill-in ATC host after six years as a reporter and anchor at commercial radio stations in New Castle and Sussex Counties.