Frequently Asked Questions

Effective Monday, March 14, masks will remain required across all three campuses in the following settings:

Health care settings (i.e. clinics, the Wellness Center, COVID-19 testing sites)

Campus transportation (i.e. campus shuttles, 8-RIDE)

Classrooms and instructional labs

Masks will not be required in all other locations but are still strongly encouraged for those seeking additional COVID-19 mitigation on campuses. This includes locations such as:

Student gathering spaces (i.e. Damen Student Center, libraries)

Residence halls

Campus recreation

Individual and group office spaces

On-campus events, meetings, or activities

Anyone who was recently exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19 is also strongly encouraged to wear a mask in all settings.

Loyola University Chicago remains open but will begin the spring 2022 semester using a reduced in-person format until Monday, January 31. This means:

Most in-person instruction will switch to online instruction.

Select classes such as labs, clinicals, and experiential classes may remain in person based on the discretion of deans.

Select programs and J-Term classes that are already online will remain so.

Read our statement on spring 2022 classes for more information.

The Lake Shore Campus Wellness Center is open from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The Water Tower Campus Wellness Center is open on Monday and Thursday from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.

Students can be seen at the Wellness Center for respiratory infections, urinary tract infections, headaches, abdominal pain, sexually transmitted infections and dermatologic conditions. We also offer dietetic services for nutritional concerns. Complete physical exams (such as those required for internships or study abroad) are not available at the Wellness Center.

Call Dial-A-Nurse to make a medical appointment.Leave a voice mail if the line is busy or if it is after hours. You MUST leave a voice mail including your phone number for us to return your call. Make sure your voice mail is set up and not full so you can receive a message if you miss the nurse's call. If message is left after hours, it will be returned the next business day.

During Wellness Center hours, Dial-A-Nurse calls are taken by a registered nurse who can:

Answer questions about illnesses or injuries

Discuss health concerns

Advise you on the urgency of your condition and recommend the appropriate level of care

Schedule an appointment with a provider.

Students, faculty, and staff who have not been vaccinated and are thus required to continue surveillance testing will receive a warning for their first and second failures to comply. After that, campus access will be revoked. For full details, please see our testing compliance policy page.

Test results are available after the lab results are completed, typically within 24 hours, and can be found in your patient portal.

If you are required to participate in on-campus surveillance testing at Loyola, you cannot submit test results from outside providers as an alternative. If you receive a positive test result via SHIELD, it will be considered positive by the University, even if you receive a negative test elsewhere.

Your vaccination site will depend largely upon where you live. The most up-to-date information will be found on your state or city public health department website. Many locations are now offering vaccines and boosters with no appointment needed.

For people living or working in Chicago, you can register to receive a vaccine at zocdoc.com/vaccine. This site is also being used by many other states.

In an effort to further protect the health and safety of our community—particularly as we navigate the impact of the highly transmissive omicron variant—Loyola will now require students, faculty, and staff to receive a booster shot of a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as they are eligible. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), if it has been at least six months since receiving a second dose of Pfizer or Moderna or at least two months since receiving the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, all adults 18 and older should receive a booster.

Students are typically issued a Rambler Card during orientation. You can also submit a photo online via the GET application.

Faculty and staff are issued Rambler Cards upon confirmation their paperwork has been completed by Human Resources. An employee should confirm with Human Resources that their paperwork is complete. The cost of a replacement Rambler Card is $25. You can visit either Campus Card Office location, Monday through Friday, to receive your card: Lake Shore Campus Sullivan Center, Room 198 6339 N. Sheridan Rd. Water Tower Campus Corboy Law Center, Lobby 25 E. Pearson Street Hours of operation are 8:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. - 5 p.m. If you experience any difficulties with your Rambler Card, please contact the Campus Card Office by phone at 773.508.2273, email at campuscard@LUC.edu, or drop by either physical location.

COVID-19 compliance is everyone's responsibility. If you see anything on or around Loyola’s campuses that you believe to be an infraction of our COVID-19 safety practices, please ask those individuals to comply.

Loyola will take all reports of non-compliance very seriously. If it is a student-related matter, please file a report through OSCCR, who will provide a swift response and take appropriate action for each report. Reports of faculty or staff non-compliance with safety practices should be referred to the appropriate administrator’s office. If not sure, please report to COVID-19Support@luc.edu with as many details as possible so it can be routed to the appropriate administrative office.

Loyola's decision-making continues to be informed by the latest guidance from local and national public health experts. University leadership reviews coronavirus health and wellness related information provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), and the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH). Based on recommendations provided by the agencies, policies and procedures are drafted and implemented for the safety and wellness of both the University and broader communities.

In March 2020, the University expanded its policy concerning reimbursement of personal cell phone and home internet data usage as a significant portion of Loyola faculty and staff temporarily transitioned to remote work arrangements due to government and University COVID-19 restrictions. Given our return to campus plan, the University will only continue this reimbursement through July 2021.

Please refer to Section C, Personal Cell Phone and Home Internet Data Usage, in the Travel & Business Expense Policy for further information.

The University provides paid sick leave for regular full-time and part-time staff who are scheduled to work at least 20 hours per week (FTE .50). The University also provides paid sick leave for part-time, hourly staff who work less than 20 hours per week, including temporary, seasonal, active casual hourly staff, and hourly paid student workers.

Please note: To ensure the greatest degree of flexibility, staff may now use any of their paid time-off accruals, including personal/family friendly days, sick, and vacation time during the coronavirus period for pay continuity with manger/supervisor approval.

Vaccinated students who live with someone who tests positive should stay masked and test on day 3-5 but do not have to isolate or quarantine. Students who are not vaccinated and have been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19, including exposure to a family member or close contacts outside of Loyola, need to quarantine. Close contact is defined as being within six feet of a person who is positive for COVID-19 for a total of 15 minutes or more.

Review our Positive Diagnosis Protocol page for complete details.

Yes, Loyola has established protocols for contact tracing and its own contact tracing team. Students, faculty, and staff are not responsible for contact tracing.

Once notified of a positive case through email at COVID-19report@LUC.edu or via phone at 773-508-7707, contact tracers will follow up with the diagnosed person, investigate the case, and perform any needed contact tracing in a confidential and expedited fashion.

Protocol following exposure to COVID-19 will differ depending on whether or not you are fully vaccinated or if you have recently been infected with COVID-19. Review complete protocol in the "Exposure to COVID-19" section of the Positive Diagnosis Protocol page.

The University has developed and outlined several processes following a positive diagnosis on campus. Review our Positive Diagnosis Protocol page for complete details.

Individuals who have received the full vaccine doses, do not need to quarantine if exposed to an individual with COVID-19, as long as it has been two weeks since their last dose.

Fully vaccinated people with a known exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 need to be tested three to five days after exposure and wear a mask in public indoor settings for 14 days or until they receive a negative test result.

Vaccine records are reviewed by licensed medical staff at the Wellness Center. Submissions must include the following: full name, DOB, type of vaccine, lot number, and date/site of vaccination administration.

Students, faculty, and staff who test positive for COVID-19 at non-Loyola testing sites must report their case immediately to the University. If you test positive for the virus, please email covid-19report@LUC.edu or call 773-508-7707.

After you report a case, please visit our new Positive Diagnosis Protocol page for complete steps on how to respond to a positive case of COVID-19. 

Testing is available on all three campuses:

Locations Lake Shore Campus: Damen Student Center – Room 216 Health Sciences Campus: Cuneo Center 120 – Faculty Dining Room Water Tower Campus: Terry Student Center – third floor

Hours Monday, Tuesday, and Friday: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday: 6 a.m. – 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday: 12 p.m. - 3 p.m.

Initially, only members of the Loyola community who are fully vaccinated or have an exemption will be able to be signed in as guests. We will review the policies monthly as public health dictates.

We have established a COVID-19 testing dashboard, which will reflect all testing data and positive COVID-19 cases that result from Loyola-provided testing. This dashboard does not reflect any testing or positive case results from tests provided by any non-Loyola, private, or community-based testing service. The dashboard also excludes any designated positive cases reported in person, via email or phone.

To view the testing dashboard, click here.

Shuttle service and 8-RIDE will be back in operation at 100 percent capacity. Masks are required for all riders, regardless of vaccination status, in accordance with CDC guidelines for public transportation.

Domestic travel is allowed for vaccinated individuals, and international travel is allowed for those who are vaccinated within State Department guidance and at the discretion of department leadership. All individuals are strongly encouraged to exercise caution when traveling to areas with substantial or high COVID-19 virus transmission; compliance with the City of Chicago emergency travel order is required upon return.

University libraries will be open with 100 percent density restored in open areas and study rooms, and restrictions on visitors have been lifted.

For the latest information on library access please visit the University Libraries website.

Dining halls will be open for the fall semester at full capacity.

The University has developed a Loyola Health function within the Loyola Mobile app to help students, faculty, and staff promote health and safety on campus. Specifically, it allows users to:

View their Campus Access Status (based on participation in on-campus surveillance testing and vaccination status)

Manage on-campus surveillance testing logistics

Report a positive COVID-19 case

Access the COVID-19 Symptom Checker

Access additional COVID-19 links and resources

Upload a COVID-19 card

Loyola Health can also be accessed via desktop or web browser here. You can learn more about the Loyola Health function at LUC.edu/loyolahealth.

The COVID-19 Symptom Checker lives within the Loyola Health function within the Loyola Mobile app. You can learn more about the Loyola Health function at LUC.edu/loyolahealth.

Fully vaccinated individuals are not required to test, although any vaccinated person can take a test at one of the campus testing sites if they wish to do so.

Unvaccinated individuals are still required to participate in regular surveillance testing. Unvaccinated students will also be required to test at move-in.

Loyola transitioned from EPIC to Point and Click (PnC), a more sophisticated patient portal. For those still participating in SHIELD testing, you will need to create a new PnC account. To do so, register at the website below using the URL and Agency Code.

Website: portal.shieldillinois.com Faculty and Staff Agency Code: yy5790vw-emp Student Agency Code: yy5790vw-stu

After that information is submitted, you will be sent a verification code to enter and confirm your identity. Once enrolled, individuals can select a time and date to test. Doing so creates a QR code in the patient account. Please bring a screenshot/printout of that QR code to your appointment. If you need assistance creating an account, call SHIELD's support line at 217-265-6059; the line is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

We are asking all online students to be vaccinated to participate in any on-campus events or programming, including the use of academic resources like the library and other on-campus services like the career center. You can also win prizes through LU Lottery when you upload. Online students who do not have an uploaded vaccination card will not be able to access campus facilities.

Loyola continues to follow the higher education guidance from the Chicago Department of Public Health and CDC. At this time, neither agency recommends social distancing in college and university classrooms, so in fall 2021, Loyola classrooms will return to pre-pandemic layouts. Please do not move the classroom furniture, and please keep seating charts to support contact tracing, if necessary.

Faculty should keep seating charts to support contact tracing, if necessary, and not move classroom furniture. You can download Seating Chart samples to create your own. For large classes where creating a seating chart for each session would be difficult, you can consider assigning seats or asking students to always sit in the same seat. Please remind students that they need to stay in the assigned seats. In the event of a positive diagnosis in your class, please let Loyola's COVID care coordinator know if students moved around for group work, role plays, etc.

Also, we encourage you to track attendance. For the safety of everyone, if students are not on your roster, they should not be in your classroom. Please ask any students not on your roster to leave the classroom. You can also report the student online through the Office of Student Conduct & Conflict Resolution (OSCCR).

We will continue to provide wipes for faculty and students to wipe down their classroom surfaces before and after each use. Each night, all classrooms are cleaned and re-stocked with sanitizing wipes and hand sanitizer. Please report any missing inventory to Facilities via 773.508.2100 or LUC.edu/facilities.

Classrooms with a large seating capacity will have a shared instructor microphone in the room. A list of classrooms equipped with a microphone will be available shortly. Please visit your smaller capacity classrooms to see if you would like to request a microphone. ITS is working to source additional lapel microphone kits. However, there is currently low stock among our vendors as microphones are in high demand.

For questions related to classroom microphones and tutorials on how to use the classroom technologies, contact the ITS Service Desk at 773.508.4487 or ITSServiceDesk@LUC.edu.

Faculty can continue to ask their students to complete group work in the classroom. Please do not move furniture. Instead, students should move to different seats to be in groups. To support contact tracing, if necessary, faculty or the students should note who was in the groups.

Faculty may want to include a syllabus statement about eating and drinking in the classroom. In general, students removing their mask to take a drink is acceptable, but removing the mask to eat is not. Students who need to have food available during class should work with the Student Accessibility Center to have that accommodation documented.

Faculty can invite guest speakers to their classes and other guests to campus if the guests are fully vaccinated or had a negative diagnostic test 72 hours prior to being on campus. Faculty will need to ask their guests about vaccination or testing. You may also use Zoom or other technologies to invite guests into your classrooms or meetings.

Loyola faculty have always worked with students suffering from an illness or facing other challenges to help them keep up with their classwork. COVID-19 is another illness that will take students out of the classroom. Loyola expects you to work with your students but does not expect you to teach HyFlex (simultaneous in-person and online teaching) to accommodate students in isolation or quarantine.

If you have questions about teaching students in isolation or quarantine, please reach out to your department chair, program director, or associate dean.

Extra masks will be provided in classroom buildings for students, faculty, and staff who forget their mask. Please report any missing inventory to Facilities via 773.508.2100 or LUC.edu/facilities.

In spring and summer 2021, Loyola students in on-campus classes were largely compliant with masking requirements. Should a student not follow the masking requirement, faculty may ask them to leave the classroom. Faculty can also report what you believe to be an infraction of our COVID-19 safety practices, including mask wearing, online through the Office of Student Conduct & Conflict Resolution (OSCCR).

Faculty should be prepping for their assigned instructional mode. If your class is scheduled to be in-person, you should prepare for an in-person class. Some classes have been assigned a mode of HyFlex (simultaneous in-person and online teaching) or hybrid (alternating in-person and online teaching). Those faculty should prepare for those specific modes. Loyola is not expecting faculty to prep alternative modes beyond the assigned instructional mode. Note: All faculty will still be expected to work with the Student Accessiblity Center and students on any approved accommodations.

For assistance with classroom technology for any instructional mode, contact the ITS Service Desk at 773.508.4487 or ITSServiceDesk@LUC.edu.

In alignment with new higher education guidance released from the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) and the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB), Loyola University Chicago will now require all full-time and part-time faculty and staff, along with students, to be vaccinated from COVID-19. Exemptions for medical contraindications or religious reasons will be reviewed and may be granted provided they are consistent with our policies. Visit LUC.edu/coronavirus/vaccine for more information.

Visit LUC.edu/vaxupload to submit your vaccine card. You will be asked to sign in with your UVID and password, then select “Upload Vaccination” on the top menu. Complete the simple form and upload an image of your card. Submitted cards will be reviewed by the Wellness Center, so please note that approval may take some time.

You will get an email if your COVID-19 vaccination card or exemption was approved. You can check your vaccination card upload status anytime in Loyola Health. If your vaccine status bar is green, you are good to go.

You should wait until you've gotten a second dose of the vaccine before uploading your vaccination card. Following your second dose, you can upload your card to Loyola Health.

Students, faculty, and staff who have not been vaccinated and are thus required to continue surveillance testing will receive a warning for their first and second failures to comply. After that, campus access will be revoked. For full details, please see our testing compliance policy page.

Loyola University Chicago's immunization/vaccination requirement is informed by our Jesuit, Catholic commitment to the common good, solidarity, and justice. Given the serious nature of the pandemic and the safety, efficacy, and availability of the COVID-19 vaccines, we are rightly called to make reasonable efforts to protect one another through vaccination. Those who are immunized prevent disease not only in themselves but also protect the vulnerable among us by preventing disease from spreading to pregnant women, infants, children, the elderly, and others who may be compromised by illness or social circumstance.

Our vaccine requirement is informed by Catholic reasoning on the principle of moral cooperation, our obligation to the common good, and the guidance offered by the Archdiocese of Chicago and the Holy See through the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

If you are an international student planning to study at Loyola's Chicagoland campuses, please contact the Office of International Student and Scholar Services at ISSS@LUC.edu for more information on how to achieve compliance with LUC’s vaccine mandate.

Please check the Loyola vaccine website for details on exemptions. If you believe you qualify or have additional questions, please contact COVID-19support@LUC.edu.

Please note that all requests will be reviewed and only those that meet the specific stated requirements will be granted.

Yes. After reviewing guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH), and the University’s COVID-19 Health Care Advisory Working Group, the most effective, efficient, and safest way to return to campus is to require all students to be vaccinated.

If not fully vaccinated, students will be unable to live in residence halls, attend in-person classes, or participate in on-campus events.

Loyola will grant exemptions for medical or religious reasons. Medical exemption requires a letter from a health care provider stating that the immunization is medically contraindicated. Religious exemption requires a signed written statement from the student describing the reason for the exemption and must include the following, as dictated by the State of Illinois:

An explanation of the reason for exemption in your own words that is based on an identifiable religious tradition and/or established interpretation of principles of faith.

An indication of whether this religious belief constitutes an objection to all immunizations or only this vaccine; if it is not an objection to all immunizations you must explain the religious basis for not receiving this particular immunization

A statement that the student (or parent/guardian if the student is under 18) is aware they will be prohibited from attending classes and dorms in the case of a vaccine preventable outbreak or exposure

Please note that a request for exemption does NOT guarantee that you will be granted one.

Please contact COVID-19support@LUC.edu for more information.

Yes, Loyola has several immunization requirements for students, as determined by the State of Illinois. Required vaccines include:

Measles (2)

Mumps (2)

Rubella (2)

A series of 3 diphtheria/tetanus shots; one must be TDAP, and must be given within the last 10 years prior to enrollment

Meningitis (required if student is under the age of 22; must be given on or after the age of 16 years: Menomune and Meningitis B do NOT meet this requirement)

In addition, Loyola recommends students be vaccinated for Hepatitis B, Influenza (during flu season), and Varicella.

Students who have been cited for failing to comply with testing guidelines should first get tested at one of the sites on campus as soon as possible. For those living in residence halls, they should speak to their res hall front desk worker about access to their dorm. Questions about compliance issues and ID reactivation can be sent to COVID-19compliance@LUC.edu.

Three COVID-19 vaccines have been approved for emergency use in the United States: Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are what are known as mRNA vaccines while the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is a viral vector vaccine. Both types produce the same intended result, which is that the immune system produces antibodies to fight the virus.

The Pfizer vaccine requires two doses (recommended to be three weeks apart) and is approved for use in anyone ages 16 and up. It has a 94.9 percent efficacy rate in the United States.

Moderna’s vaccine also requires two doses, recommended at four weeks apart, and is approved for ages 18 and up. It has a 94.1 percent efficacy rate in the United States.

The primary difference of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is that it requires only one dose. It is also approved for ages 18 and up and has a 72 percent efficacy rate, although it has an 85.4 percent efficacy against severe disease, which is higher than that of Pfizer.

All Private Health Information at Loyola, including your vaccine records, is kept in strict confidence and protected by Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliant applications and storage during the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more about HIPAA privacy and COVID-19 compliance.

While Loyola University Chicago is not able to broadly distribute the vaccine on its campuses at this time, vaccine appointments are currently available through Loyola Medicine. If you are an existing patient of Loyola University Health System, click here for instructions on how to schedule your vaccine appointment. New patients can also create a MyLoyola account to begin the process of scheduling an appointment.

Yes. Both Loyola's health plan provider Aetna and prescription benefit provider CVS are covering vaccine administration at 100 percent, not subject to any copays or deductibles.

In short, no. Although they vary in efficacy, all three vaccines considered to be very effective. Individuals should whichever vaccine is available to them as soon as they are eligible.

Achieving "herd immunity" or "community immunity" is a situation where a sufficient proportion of a population at large, not just the Loyola community, is immune to an infectious disease (through vaccination and/or prior illness) to make its spread from person to person unlikely. In this setting, even unvaccinated persons may be protected because the disease has little opportunity to spread within the community.

It is estimated that 70 percent or more of the U.S. population will need to be immune to achieve community immunity to COVID-19. We need to make additional significant progress with COVID-19 vaccination to achieve such a level of immunity in the U.S. Even if the majority of our campus community is vaccinated, this does not mean we have reached a level of herd immunity that will allow us to return fully to a pre-COVID state.

At this time, the CDC has identified that COVID-19 symptoms may include one or more of the following:

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

The University has developed a Symptom Checker within the Loyola Health function of the Loyola Mobile app to promote your own health and safety and to improve awareness of the symptoms of COVID-19. It is strongly recommended that you use the application on a daily basis. It is available for use via your browser and also within the Loyola mobile application.

Using the Symptom Checker, students, faculty, and staff are asked to check for any symptoms they have in the morning daily. Depending on their symptoms, the app will provide a RED, YELLOW, or GREEN sign indicating how the user should proceed.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), testing of asymptomatic students, faculty, and staff should increase the timeliness of outbreak detection and response by rapidly identifying and isolating COVID-19 cases that would have otherwise gone undetected without testing. The SHIELD Illinois saliva-based test is highly accurate and quick to administer, allowing Loyola to test its community widely, thereby optimizing our infection control measures.

The SHIELD Illinois saliva test is a highly accurate way of testing asymptomatic individuals. Community-wide surveillance testing gives Loyola the ability to identify positive asymptomatic individuals quickly, and immediately start contact tracing to prevent the spread of the virus within the Loyola community.

People who have tested positive should not re-test for 90 days from the date of their positive test. You should provide documentation of your positive test to COVID-19Testing@LUC.edu.

Faculty, staff, and your family members can contact Perspectives Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for support. To schedule an appointment with a licensed professional, call 800.456.6327. Recently, Loyola expanded it's partnership with Perspectives to launch a series of online health and wellness services available to faculty and staff. Learn more here.

The best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to this virus. However, as a reminder, CDC always recommends everyday preventive actions to help prevent the spread of respiratory diseases, including:

Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.

Stay home when you are sick.

Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.

Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.

Wear a mask or cloth face covering that covers the nose and mouth.

Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.

If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty. IMPORTANT: Practice handwashing and other preventative measures as outlined on the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) website.