Indiana University is preparing for the arrival of the COVID-19 Omicron variant but holding steady in its current policies until next semester.
“If you’re looking at places across the country, it is clear that it is very rapidly spreading and that it’s something we absolutely need to be watching and concerned about,” chief health officer Dr. Aaron Carroll said Friday.
IU will still require masks indoors regardless of vaccination status and it is not changing its testing procedures. However, Carroll said Omicron will heavily influence the spring semester.
He expects more data in the coming weeks but is strongly encouraging all students, faculty, and staff to get booster shots before a potential surge in January.
“I fear there are going to be surges regardless,” Carroll said. “This is a very, very transmissible virus.”
Kirk White is head of IU’s COVID-19 response unit. He said the Bloomington campus reported slightly more COVID-19 cases this week than last. There are 118 cases and students make up 99 of them.
Moving forward, White said IU anticipates hosting another vaccine and testing clinic Jan. 5-8 in connection with the Indiana Department of Health. More details will come after IU confirms a location for the clinic.
