Updated January 7, 2022
NOTICE: In light of high numbers of COVID cases in the New Haven community and among Yale students, faculty, and staff, this policy is temporarily suspended. Until February 21, 2022, all visitors require advance approval or reapproval by the COVID Review Team or cognizant HSL. The COVID Review team and HSLs strongly encourage that all visits be redesigned to be virtual or deferred and that approval is sought only for visitors providing essential services during this period. There are similar limitations until February 21 for events, gatherings, and meetings.
To protect the health and safety of faculty, staff, and students, the university has established this policy for all visitors to the Yale campus. All visitors must be invited by a university host. Both the visitor and the university host must be fully vaccinated and there must be an academic or business reason for the visit to take place on campus rather than virtually or at a future date. In addition, all other university health and safety measures must be observed. Events, gatherings, and meetings that include visitors must comply with the events, gatherings, and meetings policy.
Who Are Visitors?
A visitor is an individual who is coming to campus and is not a Yale student, employee, or trainee. Visitors include, but are not limited to, family members not residing in residential colleges, speakers for a class or conference, candidates for positions, alumni, donors, residential college fellows, non-Yale students[1], Yale students on leave or not currently enrolled, vendors, consultants, suppliers, contractors, site monitors, regulatory inspectors, insurance adjusters, clinical trial monitors, anyone registered in Yale’s sponsored identity system, and others performing work on campus[2].
Short-term Visitors
Short-term visitors are those who will be on campus for a single visit of less than 24 hours and do not anticipate returning to campus in the future, and who are not given independent access to Yale facilities.
Longer-term Visitors
Longer-term visitors are those coming to campus for more than one visit of less than 24 hours, one or more visits of longer than one day, and those who will be given independent access to campus.
Who is the University Host?
The Yale employee of a sponsoring department, school, or organization who is responsible for overseeing the visit and assuring the visitor follows Yale’s requirements during the visit is considered the “host.” The department, school, or organization may designate the Lead Administrator, the Health and Safety Leader or other managerial employee as the university host to assure compliance with these visitor requirements. Students may not act as hosts. If there is an academic or business reason for the visit to take place on campus rather than virtually or at a future date, student organizations may invite visitors by working with faculty or staff members as the official hosts.
Host and Visitor Obligations
University Host Responsibilities
- For short-term visitors: Have the visitor fill out the Vaccination Attestation form to confirm that they are fully vaccinated.
- For longer-term visitors: Have the visitor fill out the Vaccination Attestation form to confirm the visitor’s vaccination status.
- Provide the visitor with an individual invitation that includes the visitor’s responsibilities (see below).
- Send a copy of the completed required forms to their Health and Safety Leader as soon as possible and maintain a copy for their files.
- Ensure the visitor complies with the visitor responsibilities (see below) in advance of, during, and after the visit.
- Report any concerns, issues, or reported illnesses to the Health and Safety Leader.
Visitor Responsibilities
- Coordinate with the university host, attest to vaccination status, and provide proof of vaccination status if required.
- Comply with any university travel requirements.
- Follow university health and safety guidelines while on campus.
- Self-monitor for any COVID-19 symptoms and do not come to campus if experiencing symptoms.
- Notify the university host if they become ill while on campus or within one week following the visit.
- Participate in contact tracing if requested.
Exceptions
- Yale Health Center: Open to all members and their enrolled family members.
- Residential Colleges: Spouses and family members living in residential colleges are not considered visitors. Students living in residential colleges are not permitted to host visitors.
- Delivery or Pick-up of Goods: Vendors on campus solely for the purpose of delivering or picking up goods while required to be masked at all times are not required to attest to their vaccination status.
- Departments with Customized Visitor Policies and Processes: Some departments have specific visitor health and safety plans, such as those working with vendors on capital campaign projects. Departments may submit a request to the COVID Review Team for an alternative process for confirmation of vaccination status based on the department’s specific, critical needs.
- Yale Golf Course: The course is open to visitors who are current alumni and non-Yale affiliated golf course members. All visitors under this policy must be Connecticut residents. View more information on golf course use.
- Yale University Art Gallery: All visitors are required to reserve a free, timed-entry ticket before coming to the gallery. All visitors are required to wear masks.
- Yale Center for British Art: Free timed-entry tickets are strongly encouraged. Walk-in visitors will be accommodated based on capacity. All visitors are required to wear masks.
- Yale Library: Visitors may not access library spaces without written permission from the library Health & Safety Leader or as Yale Facilities service providers. Visitors may not enter or use library spaces for study, research, tours, or collection access.
If in exceptional circumstances a host wishes to propose a visitor who is not fully vaccinated or who declines to provide vaccination information, the host must seek advance approval from their HSL by submitting a visitor vaccination exception request form.