Penn State Wilkes-Barre released vaccination rates as of Sept. 8 for students and employees at the campus. At Penn State Wilkes-Barre, 87% of full-time employees indicated they are fully vaccinated, including 100% of administrators, 89% of academic personnel (instructors, researchers and faculty) and 86% of nonunion staff.
Penn State Wilkes-Barre’s Athletic and Recreation Building (ARB) will reopen to members of the community on Tuesday, Sept. 7. The ARB has been closed to the public since March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Penn State Wilkes-Barre Assistant Teaching Professor of Engineering Jeffrey Chiampi has been nominated for the Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber of Commerce’s STEAM Professional of the Year award.
Penn State students, faculty and staff who are not vaccinated for COVID-19 and those who have not shared with the University that they are fully vaccinated will be required to test weekly for COVID-19 throughout the fall semester, or until they share with the University that they have been fully vaccinated.
Penn State Wilkes-Barre is planning several events to welcome students back to campus for the fall semester. COVID-19 safety protocols will continue to be followed. Please note that masks are required in all indoor public spaces on Penn State Wilkes-Barre’s campus.
In a move designed to limit the spread of COVID-19 on Penn State campuses, the union representing about 2,600 technical service employees, has agreed to follow University requirements for mask-wearing, regardless of vaccination status. The agreement goes into effect immediately.
Recognized student organizations may return to holding in-person activities, including meetings, tabling, and other events for the fall semester. Students are expected to follow all current masking requirements on their campus during these activities.
Due to the rapidly evolving COVID-19 conditions around the country and in Pennsylvania, effective immediately (Aug. 4), Penn State will require all students, faculty, staff and visitors — including those who are vaccinated and unvaccinated — to wear masks indoors at all campuses. Within the last 24 hours, many counties that are home to Penn State campuses have shifted to “orange” status, warranting an immediate adjustment to the University’s on-campus masking requirement.
With COVID-19 cases rising in Pennsylvania and across the country and the more aggressive and more transmissible Delta variant of the coronavirus becoming the dominant strain, Penn State is adjusting its health and safety plans for the fall 2021 semester. Penn State President Eric Barron joined other University leaders for a town hall on Aug. 3 to share the fall plans with the Penn State community.
