Current policies and status
Below is an overview of current policies and protocols at Stanford related to COVID-19.
Face Masks
Stanford strongly recommends masking indoors and in crowded outdoor settings.
Masking is required in healthcare facilities, including Vaden Health Center, Stanford University Occupational Health Center, and Stanford Hospitals and Clinics. Effective Oct. 24, 2022, face masks are no longer mandatory in classrooms. However, individual instructors have the option of requiring masks in classes. Instructors who require masking should inform students in advance on Canvas, the university’s learning management system, and by email.
Vaccination
All Stanford faculty, staff and postdoctoral scholars, including those working remotely in the United States, and applicable subcontractors are required to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 and upload documentation on Health Check, unless they have a medical or religious accommodation.
Students are required to be vaccinated and to provide documentation of a booster, unless they have a medical or religious accommodation.
All temporary community members with a regular presence on campus are required to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19. For the most current information on COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters, including where to obtain them, visit the Vaccinations page.
Testing
For information on Stanford’s COVID Testing Operations, during Winter Closure, please click here.
Asymptomatic surveillance testing is no longer required, regardless of vaccination status.
Color testing continues to be available, up to two tests per week, for anyone who wishes to use Color for regular asymptomatic testing.
Rapid antigen tests are available for free to faculty, staff, postdocs, and students at campus locations. For more information, click here.
Dashboards provide aggregated results for the Stanford community.
Health Check
Faculty, staff, and postdocs who test positive for COVID are required to self-report their health status in HealthCheck.
Guidance for faculty, staff, and postdocs who are experiencing COVID-like symptoms or have been in close contact with an individual who tested positive for COVID-19 has been updated here.
Travel
International travelers may resume masked activity on campus on day 0 after a negative rapid COVID test, and may resume unmasked activity after a negative rapid COVID test on day 5 after return.
Students planning travel or returning to campus should review the Student Affairs Travel & Return Testing Guide.
More information about travel is available here.
COVID Dashboards
Stanford’s COVID dashboards provide daily and weekly updates about COVID surveillance testing, isolation, and prevalence in the Stanford community.
Latest Updates
Classroom masking recommendations
Stanford strongly recommends wearing masks indoors, including in classrooms and instructional spaces, and outdoors in crowded settings throughout January. Individual instructors can also require masks in their classrooms and will post expectations on Canvas.
Read more about Classroom masking recommendationsStaying healthy over winter break
Updates for winter break concerning vaccination, masking, and testing.
Read more about Staying healthy over winter break