Students and the campus community at the University of Maryland will no longer need to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination, effective Thursday.
Widely available vaccines and other treatments, as well as a population that has reached a “sufficient level of immunity,” have reduced the impact of the virus, the university’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Spyridon Marinopoulos said in a statement.
The university’s number of COVID-19 cases continues to stay low, and the new coronavirus subvariants are not leading to serious illnesses for most people, the university said in a letter to the school community. The university is asking people to assess their own COVID-19 risk and seek advice from their doctors.
Although proof of vaccination is no longer required, the university said COVID-19 vaccines remain “strongly recommended.”
“Over the last two years, we have been able to lessen the burden of COVID-19 within our community, thanks in part to our students, faculty and staff having received the initial vaccine and booster,” Marinopoulos said, adding that receiving and staying up to date with COVID-19 vaccines is the “best way to protect yourself from getting very sick, being hospitalized, or dying from COVID-19.”
WTOP’s Abigail Constantino contributed to this report.
