William Paterson To Begin Semester Remotely, No Booster Mandate 'At This Time'

WAYNE, NJ — William Paterson University will begin the spring semester remotely. But unlike a growing number of higher-education institutions in New Jersey, the university will not mandate COVID-19 booster shots "at this time."

The public university will continue requiring full vaccination against COVID-19 for students and employees. Those with approved exemptions must wear a mask while indoors on campus, maintain appropriate social distance "whenever possible" and agree to regular COVID testing, according to WPU's reopening plan.

Face coverings are required in any university building where it isn't possible to determine someone's vaccination status, including the Cheng Library, University Commons, Shea Center, and the Sports and Recreation Center.

Although WPU hasn't instituted a booster requirement, the university "strongly encourages" everyone eligible to receive them.

But the spring semester, which begins Jan. 24, will begin remotely until a scheduled return to normal operations Jan. 31. At that point, WPU will offer a combination of on-campus instruction and a mix of online and hybrid courses. University officials cited the spike in the omicron variant for their decision.

A growing number of New Jersey universities — including Rutgers and Princeton — have added booster mandates with deadlines before or during the spring semester.

Many schools of all education levels around the nation are currently wrestling with whether to go temporarily remote amid the omicron-variant surge, and some have done so. Cases among students and staff in New Jersey's K-12 schools and universities have ballooned in recent weeks.

Universities in New Jersey reported 128 cases among students and 50 among staff for the week ending in Nov. 28, according to the New Jersey Department of Health. The case totals increased to 291 among students and 235 among staff for the week ending Jan. 2.

Reported cases among students and staff in New Jersey schools more than doubled from the week ending Dec. 26 to the week ending Jan. 2, according to the state health department. Case rates increased from 10.5 to 24.97 of every 1,000 students and from 23.27 to 58.55 infections for every 1,000 employees in that span.

See more local resources:

• Here's where to find a COVID-19 booster shot — or first or second vaccination — around Wayne.
• Need to get tested for COVID-19? See Wayne Patch's guide on what to know about local testing centers.

Although most people with COVID-19 get better within weeks of the illness, some experience conditions known as long COVID or long-haul COVID, according to the CDC. Learn more about long COVID at the CDC's post-COVID conditions page.

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