Dear Colleagues,
With the recent COVID-19 surge and the high transmissibility of the emergent Omicron variant, we write today with two important updates for Yale faculty and staff.
Faculty and Staff Booster Requirement
The university is instituting a booster requirement, which the CDC now designates as part of remaining up to date on vaccinations. All faculty, managerial and professional staff, postdoctoral associates, and postdoctoral fellows, other than those with approved exemptions, must:
- Receive a COVID-19 booster by January 31, 2022 if currently eligible, or within seven days of eligibility if not eligible on January 31, 2022. Eligibility varies depending on the vaccination previously received, and our vaccination statistics indicate that the vast majority of faculty and staff are already eligible according to the following schedule:
- Five months after receiving a second dose of Moderna or Pfizer, and
- Two months after receiving a Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
- Upload or confirm documentation of their booster through the Employee COVID-19 Vaccination Portal by the corresponding date above.
Boosters are currently available through the Yale COVID-19 Vaccine Program and vaccination sites across the state. The Campus COVID Resource Line is available to help individuals schedule appointments (203-432-6604).
For staff represented by bargaining units, information about boosters will be provided in a separate communication.
Crisis Care Assist
For the next three months, the university is reinstating Crisis Care Assist as a part of the Bright Horizons Back-Up Care program. First instituted in the 2020 calendar year, Crisis Care Assist reimburses eligible faculty, staff, and postdoctoral associates and postdoctoral fellows for child and eldercare provided by those in their personal networks, allowing for important scheduling flexibility.
- Effective immediately, faculty, postdoctoral associates and postdoctoral fellows, and staff are eligible for $100 reimbursement per day for up to 10 days of coverage in 2022 for Crisis Care Assist. Crisis Care Assist will be available through March 31, 2022. Details for all three types of care follow:
- Bright Horizons emergency back-up care in a network center (Copay is $25/day)
- Bright Horizons emergency back-up care with a network provider (Copay is $6/hour for up to ten hours)
- Crisis Care Assist (available only through March 31, 2022) using a provider in your own network. Employees are reimbursed $100 per day.
Additional information is available on the Bright Horizons Back-Up Care page. Those with additional questions should please email worklife@yale.edu.
These adjustments are designed to help protect and assist our community through the latest, challenging stage of the pandemic. Given that we may already have reached the Omicron peak in our region, we are cautiously optimistic for the future. Thank you for all your contributions to Yale and beyond, and our best wishes to you and your families in the new year.
Sincerely,
Scott Strobel, Provost
Jack Callahan, Senior Vice President for Operations