Campus Health and Safety Plan
Pace’s Public Health Task Force, alongside faculty and University administration, are working toward a Pace experience that looks and feels closer to normal. Please stay tuned to your Pace email and this website for the latest updates and guidelines based on recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the New York State Department of Health, and our local health departments.
We are in this together and it is up to each of us to abide by the guidelines set forth in this plan. We are Pace Strong.
- Learn more about the campus health and safety plan
- Learn more about the NYS HERO ACT Airborne Infectious Disease Prevention Plan (PDF)
Campus Health and Safety
Pace is committed to providing its community with a safe learning, working, and living environment. Our 30+ member Public Health Task Force, along with the Return to Campus Community Group, consisting of health-expert faculty members, University leadership, faculty, staff, and students have developed this comprehensive plan to ensure the safety of every member of our community. We are in this together and it is up to each of us to abide by the guidelines set forth in this plan. We are Pace Strong.
- About Pace's Coronavirus Coordination Support Team
- COVID-19 Vaccination and Booster Requirements
- Monitoring Your Health
- Reporting a Positive Case and Contact Tracing
- Face Coverings
- Hand Washing
- Cleaning and Sanitization
About Pace’s Coronavirus Coordination Support Team
Pace University has appointed Kim Cotignola, RN, as the lead of the COVID-19 response activities for the University. To contact the Coronavirus Coordination Support Team, please email covidcoordinator@pace.edu.
Questions regarding testing may be sent to the COVID Coordination Officer; however private health information and lab results should only be shared with University Health Care (UHC) and must never be sent through email. Please upload any private health information to UHC’s confidential patient portal.
Testing
We strongly encourage all members of the Pace Community to be tested for COVID-19 prior to returning to campus for the start of the semester, following a semester break or travel, and anytime you're feeling ill.
If you receive a positive COVID result from off-campus or University provided COVID-19 testing, submit the COVID-19 Positive Test Report form or email the COVID Coordinator at covidcoordinator@pace.edu to notify the university of your positive result.
- Participation in community or surveillance testing is NOT mandatory for employees and students who are religiously or medically exempt from vaccination unless it’s required by the program or clinical placement (Nursing PPA, ASDS).
- On-campus testing for symptomatic students is available at University Health Care on Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. by appointment for students.
- Participation in community or surveillance testing may be required by some programs or clinical placements, or in the unlikely event that it becomes necessary as a protective strategy against the spread of COVID-19 on campus.
- Individuals who need tests for travel should seek testing options outside of Pace.
- Free rapid antigen at-home kits are available for the Pace Community (students, faculty, staff) for pick-up at the following location on campus:
- Pleasantville: Alumni Hall security desk, Residence Life by request
- New York City: Security Desks at 1 Pace Plaza main entrance, 3 Spruce Street, Residence Life by request
- Law School: Preston Hall Security Desk
At-home rapid antigen tests are also available at retail locations or for free by request.
COVID-19 Vaccination and Boosters
COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement
All students, faculty, and staff coming to campus must be vaccinated against COVID-19. To request an extension to comply with vaccine requirements, please submit a completed Extension Request Form (PDF). For members of the Elisabeth Haub School of Law, please submit the Law School Extension Request Form (PDF). If you have not already been vaccinated, find a vaccination center near you.
COVID-19 Booster Requirement
We require that all eligible members of the Pace Community who are coming to campus receive a booster. This includes both residential and commuter students who come to campus, except for those who are unable to be vaccinated for medical or religious reasons. Fully online students will not be subject to this requirement.
Please note the following information regarding COVID-19 booster eligibility guidelines. More guidance is available from the Centers for Disease Control.
- Those who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at least 2 months ago can receive either the Moderna or Pfizer booster (age 18+)
- Those who received a second dose of the Moderna vaccine at least 5 months ago can receive either the Moderna or Pfizer booster (age 18+)
- Those who received a second dose of the Pfizer vaccine at least 5 months ago can receive either the Moderna or Pfizer booster (age 16+)
- The Centers for Disease Control recommends the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna booster (mRNA COVID-19 vaccines) in most cases. If you have already received two shots of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, please upload the record of your vaccinations to the Patient Portal and contact University Health Care for guidance.
To continue to access campus, you must upload a record of your booster within 30 days of when you become eligible. If you’re not eligible to receive a booster yet, you may still return to campus, but you should plan ahead to receive your booster and upload proof within the specified 30 days of becoming eligible. Upload proof to the confidential Patient Portal or by using the PaceSafe app. You will NOT receive a confirmation email for loading your booster record; instead, we will randomly audit booster records to ensure compliance.
We recognize there may be extenuating circumstances, including for international students who did not receive their initial vaccine in the United States, and we will issue extensions where appropriate. If you need additional time to comply with COVID booster, then you must complete a Request to Comply with Pace University’s COVID-19 Booster Requirement form (PDF). The form is accessible via the Patient Portal and requires supporting documentation. You must be eligible to receive a COVID-19 booster and meet one of the following conditions:
- Received a non-FDA or non-WHO approved COVID-19 vaccine outside of the United States.
- Tested positive for COVID-19 within the last 90 days and have received a monoclonal antibody or convalescent serum therapy.
If your healthcare provider has determined that you should not receive a booster yet, you must apply for a temporary medical exemption with supporting documentation from your healthcare provider. Complete the medical exemption request on the University’s Immunization page found at and upload it to the confidential Patient Portal.
If you are not yet eligible for a booster or you have already received a medical or religious exemption for Pace’s COVID-19 vaccine requirement you do not need to apply for an extension or other exemption for the booster.
Check Your Vaccination Status in the Patient Portal
If you've uploaded your documentation (e.g., proof of vaccination, proof of booster, request for exemption, or request for extension) and are unsure if you are approved to come to campus, simply follow the steps below.
- Log-in to the confidential patient portal with your Pace username/password
- Click on the tab labeled “Immunizations” at the top of the page
- Click the “View History” link on the drop down that pops up
Compliance status appears in RED on the webpage that opens. If the document has been fully processed/approved, the following text will appear, “Overall Status: Compliant, Verified”.
Monitoring Your Health
- If you feel unwell or develop symptoms, get tested immediately and isolate until you receive your test results. If you test positive, follow isolation recommendations.
- In our residence halls, Pace has implemented an “isolate in place” model that has been used successfully at other area institutions and does not provide alternate isolation rooms for residential students who test positive for COVID-19. Students can isolate in their assigned space or off campus.
- In our residence halls, Pace is able to adopt the isolate-in-place model on campus thanks to our vaccine requirement, high rates of vaccine efficacy, mutations in the virus that are associated with milder illness, higher population-level immunity, and more widely available medication (when clinically indicated).
Reporting a Positive Test Result, Quarantine, Isolation, and Contact Tracing
Procedures for individuals testing positive for COVID-19 or with COVID-19 symptoms:
- While Pace University is no longer conducting universal contact tracing, we remain committed to providing COVID-19 related support for the community. This approach is in line with the NYS announcement that no longer requires local health departments to conduct universal contact tracing following positive COVID-19 test results.
- All individuals accessing campus that test positive on a PCR or rapid antigen test should report their results using the COVID-19 Positive Test Report form.
- Identify who your close contacts are. Think of what you did during your infectious period. This is 48 hours before you tested positive or your symptoms started. A close contact is someone that you were indoors with and were within 6 feet of for more than 15 minutes during a 24-hour period. People who you were around that do not meet that criteria are not considered a close contact.
- Notify your close contacts as soon as possible. It is your responsibility to make sure your close contacts are notified so they can take steps to test, mask and monitor for symptoms or quarantine if necessary. Please advise your contacts in the Pace Community to review the exposure guidance and to follow the guidance based on their vaccination and booster status.
- Notify your professors or supervisor that you are in isolation.
- Isolate when you are sick or when you have COVID-19, even if you don’t have symptoms.
- Day 0 is your first day of symptoms or a positive viral test. Day 1 is the first full day after your symptoms developed or your test specimen was collected. If you have COVID-19 or have symptoms, isolate for at least 5 days.
- Before returning to in-person activities on campus, stay in isolation until you receive a negative rapid antigen test result after day 5.
Procedures for calculating quarantine and isolation:
- Refer to the quarantine and isolation calculator provided by the CDC to determine the length needed to isolate, quarantine, and take further steps to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
Procedures for individuals who are close contacts of individuals testing positive for COVID-19:
- Quarantine is a strategy used to prevent transmission of COVID-19 by keeping people who have been exposed or in close contact with someone with COVID-19 apart from others.
- Exposure - Contact with someone infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in a way that increases the likelihood of getting infected with the virus.
- Close Contact - a close contact is someone who was less than 6 feet away from an infected person (laboratory-confirmed or a clinical diagnosis) for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period. For example, three individual 5-minute exposures for a total of 15 minutes. People who are exposed to someone with COVID-19 after they completed at least 5 days of isolation are not considered close contacts.
- If you come into close contact with someone with COVID-19, you should quarantine if you are not up to date on COVID-19 vaccines. This includes people who are not vaccinated. If you are up to date on your vaccines and have no symptoms, or have had COVID-19 in the past 90 days, you do not need to quarantine.
- Stay home and away from other people for at least 5 days (day 0 through day 5) after your last contact with a person who has COVID-19. The date of your exposure is considered day 0. Wear a well-fitting mask when around others at home, if possible.
- For 10 days after your last close contact with someone with COVID-19, watch for fever (100.4◦F or greater), cough, shortness of breath, or other COVID-19 symptoms.
- If you develop symptoms, get tested immediately and isolate until you receive your test results. If you test positive, follow isolation recommendations.
- If you do not develop symptoms, get tested at least 5 days after you last had close contact with someone with COVID-19.
- If you live on campus and you’re required to quarantine, you’ll need to stay in your room for the duration of your quarantine, leaving only to use the restroom, pick up meal deliveries, or to get tested for COVID. A well fitting face mask should be worn when leaving your room or when around others.
- If you live off campus and must quarantine, you must stay off campus.
- Refer to the quarantine and isolation calculator provided by the CDC to determine necessary precautions based on your vaccination status and previous recent exposure to COVID-19
Face Coverings
Effective July 11, 2022, in accordance with CDC guidelines, we currently are recommending mask use in indoor settings on all three Pace campuses. Pace University remains a mask-friendly community where mask use is always encouraged and supported. We continue to ask community members to take precautions and to stay home if they feel unwell or test positive. We will continue to require masks only in healthcare settings and on Pace transportation. Note that internships or clinical placements may continue to require masks.
Appropriate use of face coverings is critical in minimizing your risk of transmission and to others near you. Read the CDC's guide to face coverings.
- Approved face coverings include but are not limited to cloth, surgical masks, and face shields.
- Face coverings will also be required for all individuals on Pace shuttle buses and in University Health Care.
- Ensure the face covering fits properly over your nose and under your chin.
- Store face coverings in a paper bag when not in use.
- Do not share your face coverings.
- Wash cloth face coverings with regular laundry detergent before the first use and after each use, and do not use for more than one day at a time.
- Replace cloth face coverings immediately if they become soiled, damaged (e.g., ripped, punctured) or visibly contaminated.
- Do not use disposable face coverings for more than one day, and place them in the trash after use, or if they become soiled or damaged (e.g., stretched ear loops, torn, or punctured material) or visibly contaminated.
Please note: Face coverings that incorporate a one-way or exhalation valve (typically a raised plastic cylinder about the size of a quarter on the front or side of the mask) are designed to facilitate easy exhaling and are not an acceptable face covering on campus. Such respirators and face coverings are not effective in reducing the spread of COVID-19. See the examples below of face coverings that would not be permitted for use:
Face Shields: A face shield is primarily used for eye protection for the person wearing it. At this time, it is not known what level of protection a face shield provides to people nearby from the spray of respiratory droplets from the wearer. There is currently not enough evidence to support the effectiveness of face shields for source control. Therefore, the CDC does not currently recommend use of face shields as a substitute for face coverings.
Hand Washing
Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds especially after you have been in a public place, or after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
It's especially important to wash:
- Before eating or preparing food
- Before touching your face
- After using the restroom
- After leaving a public place
- After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
- After handling your mask
- After changing a diaper
- After caring for someone sick
- After touching animals or pets
If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Cover all surfaces of your hands and rub them together until they feel dry.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
Cleaning and Sanitization
Pace’s Facilities team will continue to maintain the cleanliness of the university campuses and follow state and CDC guidelines.
- The Facilities team will clean all high-touch surfaces (i.e. doorknobs, faucets, railings, light switches, elevator buttons) and campus facilities will be cleaned and disinfected as appropriate daily by the Facilities team.
- While the Facilities team will be responsible for thorough cleaning, it is expected that all faculty and staff maintain clean work areas and wipe down any areas before and after use with cleaning supplies that are provided in each classroom or other work area.
- The Facilities team will also adjust the mechanical infrastructure to increase fresh air flow, adding efficient filtration, utilizing UV-C technology to combat infectious particles, and controlling temperature and humidity.