Covid
Penn's new indoor masking policy, explained
In a Jan. 7 email to the Penn community, administrators announced that all community members in campus buildings must either double-mask or wear a KN95 or N95 mask.
Penn Medicine's Drew Weissman, Katalin Karikó receive $3 million VinFuture Grand Prize
Two Perelman School of Medicine Professors were awarded $3 million dollars in Vietnam for their breakthrough mRNA research which led to the technology behind the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
Penn confirms in-person classes will resume Jan. 24
In an email sent to the Penn community on Thursday morning, Penn administrators pointed to indicators that the peak of the Omicron variant has passed, following a surge of cases in the region.
Number of students in Penn's COVID-19 isolation housing surges, despite declining case count
Penn’s weekly COVID-19 case count and positivity rate subsided while the number of students in isolation continued to surge in the week prior to on-campus move-in.
Here’s what you need to know about Philadelphia’s new indoor dining vaccine requirement
The new requirement applies to any Philadelphia establishment that sells food and drink for onsite consumption indoors — including movie theaters, bowling alleys, and sports venues.
Penn to host COVID-19 booster vaccine clinics at start of semester
The University will partner with SunRay Drugs, a local pharmacy, to offer the COVID-19 booster vaccine to all students, faculty, staff, and postdoctoral students.
University announces students affected by delayed move-in will receive reimbursement
Postponed final exams from the fall will be made up during the beginning of the spring semester in the same format they were offered previously.
University estimates 1 in 6 Penn community members infected with COVID-19 over winter break
1,281 Penn community members tested positive for COVID-19 last week — the highest number of new cases in one week since the start of the fall semester.
TIME honors Penn alumnus Elon Musk, two Penn Medicine researchers among People of the Year
TIME's Editor-in-Chief described Elon Musk, who graduated from the College and Wharton in 1997, as an “example of a massive shift in our society.”
Everything you need to know about Penn’s spring COVID-19 policies
Penn will begin the spring semester with several COVID-19 mitigation measures — including two weeks of virtual learning and a new masking requirement.
FGLI students blindsided by delayed move-in, 'insensitive’ communication
The University received over 1,100 requests for early arrival, and approved "slightly more than 60%," according to Marc Lo, executive director of P1P.
Penn announces COVID-19 mitigation efforts including double mask requirement, gateway testing
University administrators announced that all students need to be tested for COVID-19 48 hours prior to arriving on campus and receive a gateway test upon arrival.
Penn moves classes online for first two weeks of spring semester, delays campus move-in
On-campus housing move-in, which was previously scheduled to begin on Jan. 8, will begin on Jan. 15 and in-person classes will resume on Jan. 24.
Penn requires all eligible community members to receive COVID-19 booster vaccine by Jan. 31
All eligible students, faculty, postdoctoral students, and staff must receive the booster shot by Jan. 31.
Cornell shuts down campus, moves finals online amid rising COVID-19 cases
Cancellations include a Dec. 18 graduation ceremony, athletic competitions, the closure of campus libraries and fitness centers, and transition of final exams to an online format.
Penn moves final exams online for week of Dec. 20
Finals scheduled through Dec. 17 will continue in person, while finals during the week of Dec. 20 will be online.
Year in Review: A look back at the stories that defined 2021
Penn community members coped with the ever-changing pandemic and associated losses, and they managed a complicated and often stressful return to in-person classes and exams.
Here's everything you need to know about Penn's indoor social gatherings ban
Dubé said the decision to prohibit indoor social events was preventative in nature and was made in an effort to avoid the need for further restrictions on campus movement, which could jeopardize the University's academic mission.
How the ups and downs of COVID-19 defined 2021
Whether in-person or online, masked or unmasked, socializing or isolating, COVID-19 continued to determine what life at Penn looked like in 2021.