COVID-19 Booster required for Travel

December 15, 2021

Due to the growing impact of the Omicron variant and emerging data indicating the additional protection afforded by booster doses of vaccine, effective 1/3/2021, all Drexel travelers participating in any university-related travel are required to be fully vaccinated and have received a booster dose of vaccine for COVID-19 at least 7 days prior to travel. Drexel will be offering booster clinics in January, and the booster is available at local pharmacies. Travel by non-vaccinated travelers with a medical or religious exemption may be considered on a case-by-case basis. International travel must be reviewed by the Essential Travel Review Committee. Domestic travelers must seek approval via their supervisor or designated departmental travel approver. Additionally, all travelers must confirm that funding for their travel fits within the unit’s existing budgets. Travelers having difficulty in obtaining a booster should contact covid19travel@drexel.edu.

Updated Testing Requirements for Entry to US

December 03, 2021

Effective 12/2/21, the United States government has changed the testing requirement for all travel to the United States which now must occur ONE DAY before travel. Drexel travelers should review carefully the full details on the CDC website. US Embassies maintain COVID-19 information on their websites including the availability of in-country testing. 

Omicron variant detected

December 01, 2021

Drexel International Health, Safety and Security is monitoring closely the news of a recently-discovered COVID-19 variant, Omicron. The variant was originally detected in southern Africa, but has been reported in other parts of the world, including Europe, Australia, Hong Kong and now also in the United States. In the coming weeks it is expected that we will learn more about the Omicron variant including if it is more transmissible, causes more or less severe disease than other variants of SARS Co-V-2, or if vaccination or prior infection protects against infection. We will be closely monitoring these developments to assess their implications for Drexel travelers.

For now, Drexel international travelers are advised to monitor closely travel restrictions in different countries, practice pro-active public health measures such as masking, social distancing and frequent hand washing and to obtain a booster when it is available to you. Travelers are advised to obtain a booster prior to travel as it is unlikely that it may be easily accessed while travelling.