The students at public sate and city colleges were already required to be vaccinated in order to return to campus for the spring semester, but now they will be mandated to receive the booster as soon as they are able — six months after their second vaccine dose.
This will officially take effect as of January 15. Faculty will also need to be fully vaccinated.
And, everyone will need to supply a negative COVID test before they return to campus.
“We need to ensure students in New York are able to stay in school and learn in-person throughout the spring semester,” Governor Hochul said. “Students deserve to have a safe, and high quality in-person college experience, and with these new measures, students will be able to stay on campus and in their classes. SUNY and CUNY have already done an extraordinary job at fighting the pandemic, with COVID-19 rates much lower than the general population, and it’s time to take the next step to keep everyone safe.”
Campuses will also be required to continue to enforce universal indoor masking — regardless of vaccination status — and social distancing for anyone who is unvaccinated on campus. This is in addition to an ongoing testing plan to monitor for positive cases throughout the semester.
You can read more details in the New York State announcement here.