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WIU mandates COVID-19 testing, not vaccination for Fall 2021 semester

The school will not require vaccination this fall, but will instead mandate weekly testing for those who can't or choose not to get the shots.

MACOMB, Ill. — In a statement, Western Illinois University President Guiyou Huang detailed the university's COVID-19 plans for the Fall 2021 semester.

The news release, published on Tuesday, July 13 on the school's website, urges the community to get vaccinated and talks about the basics of the school's plan for people on-campus.

Beginning in the Fall 2021 semester, all students, faculty, and staff are required to take part in the school's COVID-19 testing program unless they show proof of vaccination.

While WIU is not requiring vaccination, it will be operating on an honor system expecting unvaccinated people on campus to follow pandemic guidelines such as masking, social distancing, and mandatory testing.

Those who have been vaccinated, and are willing to provide proof, do not have to take part in testing. Students and staff are not required to disclose their vaccine status. 

RELATED: Augustana requiring students, staff to share vaccine status ahead of fall semester

You can submit your vaccine information at wiu.edu/vaccinationportal/ (select "student" or "employee" category). If you do not wish to upload your information, you can physically show your card to University staff at a specific location based on your status:

  • WIU-Macomb Students: Beu Health Center
  • WIU-Macomb Employees: Sherman Hall 321 (Vice President for Student Success Office)
  • WIU-Quad Cities Students & Employees: Riverfront Hall

President Huang continues to strongly urge university members to get the vaccine, saying "A high vaccination rate for our campuses in Macomb and Moline will allow us to return to our normal operating conditions at a much faster pace. In order to resume our activities – in-person classes, athletic events, Homecoming, and more – we need your cooperation to get back to the full, traditional college experience we know and want. It was because of your cooperation during the height of the pandemic during the 2020-2021 academic year that we were able to keep our number of positive cases relatively low so that we could maintain in-person classes and more. For those who have already been vaccinated, or plan to do so in the near future, thank you for taking the steps to protect yourself and others."

For more information on the university's COVID-19 plans, visit wiu.edu/coronavirus

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