COVID-19 Response Plan

IUP will continue to follow guidance from the Centers for Disease Control regarding masks/face coverings; currently, masks are not required for Allegheny, Armstrong, Indiana, or Jefferson counties. The exception is that masks will continue to be required in the IUP Health Service.

IUP is following the CDC recommendation regarding masking and self-isolation, which is, that regardless of vaccination status, you should isolate from others when you have COVID-19. You should also isolate if you are sick and suspect that you have COVID-19 but do not yet have test results. If you were exposed to someone with COVID-19, you may have been infected with the virus. Follow CDC’s recommendations for what to do if you were exposed. This includes wearing a high-quality mask when indoors around others (including inside your home) for 10 days, testing, and monitoring yourself for symptoms.

Student-athletes are to continue to follow the COVID-19 policy established by the NCAA and PSAC. Students in off-site experiences should follow the guidelines of their host institution.

Anyone who wishes to wear a face covering is encouraged to do so, and individuals in private offices and in private residence hall suites and rooms are permitted to ask that visitors wear masks when in these areas.

IUP has secured a quantity of KN95 masks for employees and students, following CDC recommendations that KN95 and N95 respirator masks are preferred over cloth masks.

These KN95 masks are available in the residence halls, at dining facilities, at MSCLE in Elkin Hall, and at the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs. 

IUP employees can order KN95 masks online from IUP Central Stores.

Learn more on the COVID-19 Health and Safety page.

COVID-19 Vaccinations and Boosters

IUP Health Service can provide the COVID-19 bivalent booster.

COVID-19 PCR asymptomatic testing is available (8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Monday through Friday) while classes are in session during the fall and spring semesters.

Schedule your appointment online.

All members of the IUP community should consult their personal physician or health-care provider about recommendations for vaccinations and booster doses. Learn more on the COVID-19 Health and Safety page.

Update, Aug. 11, 2022

CDC streamlines COVID-19 guidance to help the public better protect themselves and understand their risk.

COVID-19 Testing

Free testing is available to all IUP students, regardless of whether or not you feel sick. Schedule your appointment online.

COVID-19 testing hours at the IUP Health Service are 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Monday through Friday during the semester. 

Free COVID-19 testing is also available at a number of community sites.

Contact Tracing

Contact tracing (getting information from and to people who may have been exposed to a positive COVID-19 individual) is essential to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. 

If you have been identified as a "close contact" of a COVID-19-positive person, you will be contacted via text from IUP. The text message will come from “IUP COVID-19 Close Contact Alert” and will advise you to contact IUP Health Service for instruction and additional testing. You may also be contacted by the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

When preparing for the academic year amid a global pandemic, each university must do what's best for its situation and must be prepared to change course as new information becomes available.

IUP's plan follows guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,Pennsylvania Department of Health, American College Health Association,Pennsylvania Department of Education, and Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education. It applies to IUP's Indiana campus, regional campuses, and other sites.

The plan focuses on protecting our employees, students, and communities, while providing our students with the best educational experience possible.

If we are to be healthy and safe, we need every member of the IUP community to work together and follow the plan detailed on this site. Here's what you'll find:

The IUP COVID-19 Response Committee

The 50-plus member IUP COVID-19 Response Committee, after formulating plans and recommendations for the 2020–21 and 2021–22 academic years, continues as a core group of employees making recommendations for the 2022–23 academic year.

Although we are navigating uncharted territory with this pandemic, we continue to focus on these core guidelines:

• Being flexible and ready to act as new information becomes known.
• Communicating new information and decisions as broadly and as quickly as possible (including on this website).
• Providing a high-quality educational experience.
• Protecting the health and safety of our students, faculty and staff members, and home communities.
• Holding fast the ties that bind the IUP family together.

If you have questions or concerns about IUP's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, please contact a committee cochair: Paula Stossel, pstoss@iup.edu, or Scott Moore, rsmoore@iup.edu.