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
Asymptomatic surveillance testing is no longer required, regardless of vaccination status.
As of March 24, 2023, Color testing will no longer be available to faculty, staff, postdocs. Color testing will continue to be available to students through June 18, 2023.
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
Stanford recommends, but does not require, that international travelers test themselves using a rapid COVID test on day 0. Travelers who are experiencing symptoms of illness should mask until receiving a negative rapid COVID test on day 5.
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
Changes to COVID testing program
The university is transitioning away from the Color testing program. Free rapid tests will continue to be available.
Read more about Changes to COVID testing programClassroom 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 recommendations