The Eugene Register-Guard
The University of Oregon and Oregon State University will require people attending their events to show they have been vaccinated or got a recent negative COVID-19 test.
Both universities start the new policy Monday. The policies apply to people 12 and older.
“This decision was made in partnership with public health authorities and peer institutions in the state to help keep our communities safe,” UO tweeted late Friday.
The requirement will not apply to the Prefontaine Classic, which concludes before the requirement takes effect and, while held on UO property, is not a university-run event.
The UO and OSU policies are similar and were crafted together, a news release said.
“We now are asking our community members and fans attending events and athletics to join us in helping prevent viral spread. Wearing face coverings in indoor and outdoor public spaces, where physical distancing is not possible and implementing OSU’s proof of vaccination requirements to attend university events and activities are necessary measure,” OSU Provost for Student Affairs Dan Larson said in a news release.
Acceptable proof of a COVID-19 vaccination includes a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention vaccination card, a photocopy of the card or a photo of the card on a mobile device, according to a UO news release. Attendees must be at least two weeks past their first dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine or the second dose in a two-dose series vaccine, such as Moderna or Pfizer.
Those who can’t provide proof of vaccination can show documentation of a negative test taken within three days of the event, according to the release. The test must be a SARS-CoV-2 viral test with emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Home tests will not be accepted.
The documentation must include:
- A test result must be in the form of paper or electronic documentation. TheTest result
- Type of test
- Entity issuing the result (such as laboratory, healthcare entity or telehealth service)
- Specimen collection date. A negative test result must show the specimen was collected within the three days before the event to be attended. A positive test result for documentation of recovery from COVID-19 must show the specimen was collected within the three months before the event.
- Accompanying proof of identification in the form of a driver’s license or other document that visibly identifies the person on the test result.
Guests 5 and older at university events will be required to wear face coverings indoors throughout the venue, including in seats, except when actively eating and drinking.
Local hospital leaders said earlier this week a spike in cases is being driven in major part by patients who are unvaccinated. PeaceHealth shared information on social media that showed that of their COVID-19 patients from Aug. 1-18, 963 patients were unvaccinated, 34 patients were vaccinated and 40 patients were partially vaccinated.
Autzen Stadium rules expected soon
The Prefontaine Classic, a track meet put on by Oregon Track Club, began Friday and will run through Saturday afternoon. Prefontaine Classic organizers said during a press conference for the meet Friday that this will be the largest crowd at Hayward Field for an event since the venue opened. They are requiring face coverings for people as they move throughout the venue.
“(Face coverings) are strongly recommended at all times inside Hayward Field, including the stands,” the website states.
Jimmy Stanton, spokesperson for UO Athletics, said they are still in communication with Lane County Public Health about how to operate this fall for football games and other athletic events. The first UO football game at Autzen Stadium is Sept. 4.
“As has been the case throughout the entire pandemic, maximizing the health and safety of our student-athletes and community is our top priority, and we continue to work with our campus Incident Management Team and Lane County Public Health on all safety protocols,” he said. “We are engaged in ongoing discussions with those entities on all safety measures related to gamedays at UO athletic venues, and when any updates are available, we will share those publicly.”
Lane County Public Health spokesperson Jason Davis said at a Wednesday news conference the county had been working closely with UO regarding events like those at Autzen.
“Early on, we took a broad-level approach that just sort of touched on every aspect of society shutting things down and eliminating all those opportunities for people to spread the virus, and now it’s more of a harm reduction strategy where we look at each individual circumstance and try to make that as healthy as possible,” Davis said. “I know for a fact the University of Oregon is absolutely committed to making their events as healthy as possible and not being a point of transmission.”
Davis said oftentimes these larger-scale events are easier for public health because they take so much planning that it allows public health a seat at the table.
“What is harder in are those unofficial things like social gatherings,” he said. “You don’t have a regulatory arm to your barbecue, and you don’t have a public health person with a clipboard down at the nightclub — so that’s really where I think that we see the more unmitigated spread, and where it’s harder for us to manage that, and that’s where we’re going to be pushing a lot of our resources.”
Here is OSU’s news release:
This news release is available online: https://beav.es/3th
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Oregon State University announced today that people attending designated university events and activities, including athletic events, concerts and conferences, will be required to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test.
The new policy is in response to the rise in COVID-19 cases and the significant transmission rate of the Delta variant. The policy takes effect Aug. 23, 2021, and has been developed in consultation with the local public health officials.
“OSU continues to collaborate with local and state public health officials to employ many public health measures – including face coverings and vaccination requirements for students and employees – and engage in proactive planning to support the university’s return to in-person and on-site activity for fall term,” said Interim OSU President Becky Johnson. “It is up to each one of us to contribute to wellness while we return to on-site learning and activities. I know we can do this together.”
Attendees at the designated university events will be required to present their CDC vaccination record card, or a photocopy, photo, or mobile photo of the card. Cardholders must be at least two weeks past receiving their second dose in a two-dose series (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna, or other World Health Organization-approved vaccines), or a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
The proof of vaccination requirement complements OSU’s overall COVID-19 response, said Dan Larson, the university’s COVID-19 response coordinator and vice provost for student affairs.
“We continue to see strong engagement from OSU students and employees in efforts to help reduce the risk and spread of COVID-19,” Larson said. “As of now, approximately 94%, or approximately 18,700, of our students are fully vaccinated.
“We now are asking our community members and fans attending events and athletics to join us in helping prevent viral spread. Wearing face coverings in indoor and outdoor public spaces, where physical distancing is not possible, and implementing OSU’s proof of vaccination requirements to attend university events and activities are necessary measures.”
Children under age 12 do not need to provide proof of vaccination or a negative test.
For those who cannot provide proof of vaccination, documentation of a negative test taken within three days of the event also will be accepted. The test must be a SARS-CoV-2 viral test (nucleic acid amplification test or antigen test) with emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Home tests will not be accepted.
A test result must be in the form of written medical documentation (paper or electronic copy). The documentation must include: test result; type of test; entity issuing the result; and specimen collection date.
Proof of vaccination and documentation of a test result will require presentation of a driver’s license or another government-issued form of identification, such as a passport.
OSU’s policy requiring proof of vaccinations has been made in collaboration with the University of Oregon, which is announcing a similar policy today.
In compliance with Oregon’s statewide indoor face mask requirement that went into effect Aug. 13, attendees age 5 and older at designated university indoor events will be required to wear face coverings throughout the venue, including in seats, except when actively eating and drinking. In compliance with a Benton County ordinance, members of the public attending outdoor events where 6 feet of physical distancing is not possible are required to wear face coverings.
Larson said an appropriate face covering fully covers the nose and mouth, is not constructed of mesh or lace, and does not have openings, holes, valves or vents.
OSU’s COVID-19 response coordinator, in consultation with program leaders and the local public health authority, will define places at OSU where people will be required to show proof of vaccination or a negative test. In addition to athletic events, concerts and conferences, these may include recreation centers, field trips and other experiential learning activities that present higher risk.