Find need-to-know information about campus life.
Bison S.A.F.E.: The University's Pandemic Response
Howard University’s pandemic response is built with the goals of Bison S.A.F.E. at heart:
Supporting our community;
Advocating for at-risk populations;
Facilitating ethical, culturally sensitive, and inclusive research; and
Educating the public on best practices for safety.
Responding to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is a team effort. Do your part by knowing and following the guidelines detailed on this site.
Overview of COVID-19 Policies
Vaccination
All students, faculty, and staff who will be coming to campus must provide official documentation of vaccination that includes your name, the name of the vaccine received, and the dates of vaccination. This documentation may be provided through either a CDC Vaccination Card, World Health Organization Yellow Book, or official documentation from a medical provider. Please see the Vaccination Protocol page for more information and instructions.
Testing and Masking
Testing is required for individuals who are experiencing symptoms (fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea), as well as a once-per-month selected surveillance screening with PCR testing. Please see Testing, Quarantine, and Contact Tracing Protocol for more information.
Wearing a mask on campus is optional, but recommended.
Daily Symptoms Check
All members of the Howard University community who plan to be on-campus must complete the daily Bison Safe app daily screening. Download the app here.
Get the Bison Safe App
Bison Safe is the official safety app of Howard University. Through the app, you can schedule COVID testing and complete your daily self-assessment, receive safety alerts, and get instant access to campus safety resources. Students, faculty, and staff are required to complete a daily self-assessment using this app before visiting any campus buildings.
Daily Self-Assessment Instructions
Download the Bison Safe AppAnnouncements
Jun 10, 2022
University Optional Mask Policy
Effective Monday, June 13, 2022, Howard University will transition to a mask-optional policy for Main Campus as well as West Campus.
Jun 3, 2022
[Reminder] Update to COVID-19 Protocols
Effective Monday, May 30, 2022, mandatory weekly testing is suspended.
May 23, 2022
Update to Summer 2022 COVID-19 Protocols
As we prepare for Summer 2022 courses, we continue to closely monitor the COVID-19 status (confirmed hospitalizations, positive test rates, variants of the virus) in the Washington, D.C. area and on campus.