Frequently Asked Questions
Campus Access and Safety
Faculty and staff accessing University facilities will be required to be vaccinated or to show proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken no more than 7 days prior to the visit.
All Students registering for a fully in-person or hybrid class for the 2021 Fall Term must be fully vaccinated to attend in-person classes unless you have been granted an exception or medical exemption. Requests for exceptions or medical exemptions must be submitted via CUNYfirst.
LaGuardia students enrolled in hybrid or in-person classes have until October 7, 2021 to submit vaccine verification and must be “fully vaccinated” by October 21, 2021.
The deadline to apply for a religious exemption was September 27, 2021.
Until October 21, students attending in-person classes need to be fully vaccinated and have their vaccination documentation uploaded and approved, or they have to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within the past seven days at a CUNY testing site.
For all health & safety guidance, visit cuny.edu/coronavirus.
Students accessing University facilities for reasons other than to attend an on-campus class session will be required to be vaccinated after October 21, 2021. Only in they have been granted a religious exception or medical exemption, they can show proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken no more than 7 days prior to the visit.
Until the October 21 deadline, students who are waiting for their vaccination documentation to be approved (or received a religious exception or medical exemption) have or to show proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test takenithin the past 7 days at a CUNY testing site. Anyone who is not fully vaccinated must wear a mask indoors and outdoors at all times while on campus, including in enclosed spaces, except briefly when eating or drinking (in which case they must maintain strict social distancing from other individuals). When classes begin, students who are not vaccinated will be further required to maintain social distancing between themselves and all others in a classroom.
For the time being, everyone, regardless of vaccination status, must: - Wear a face mask inside all CUNY campuses and office buildings. This includes while working in a non-enclosed space such as a cubicle or other open seating, regardless of physical distance from others.
- Wear a mask outdoors on campus when unable to maintain physical distance from others.
The only exceptions to wearing a mask inside are: - If a fully vaccinated person is alone in an enclosed space such as an office, conference room, or dorm room.
- In a classroom, if a vaccinated professor is teaching a class and is able to keep social distance from everyone else in the class, he or she may choose not to wear a mask.
- Briefly while eating or drinking, provided social distancing is maintained.
All Public Safety posts will have masks available for employees that need one. In addition, kindly request PPE (masks, face shields or gloves) via your department’s e-stockroom liaison.
Based on the most recent governing agencies guidelines, physical distancing is only a requirement for the unvaccinated, but the College continues to encourage distancing.
The college will be accessible Monday- Friday 7 a.m.- 10:30 p.m., Saturday 7 a.m.- 7 p.m., and Sunday 7 a.m.- 7 p.m. for specific programs only.
For office hours, please visit https://www.laguardia.edu/campus-services.
As of August 16, 2021, the Everbridge symptom checker and temperature checks are no longer required.
Elevators will be operational with occupancy limits in place however, the use of staircases is encouraged.
The cafeteria spaces will gradually reopen this Fall, beginning with a limited selection; details are forthcoming. For August we recommend employees pack their lunch or use one of the vendors around the campus for food options.
All areas have been cleaned and disinfected prior to occupancy as per the College’s reopening plan and will continue to be cleaned on a scheduled basis. Protocol for housekeeping services remains the same, call ext. X5550 if services are needed.
Employees not in compliance with the mask policy can be reported to Ron Edwards, Executive Director of Human Resources.
Students not in compliance with the mask policy can be reported to Fay Butler, Interim Associate Dean of Student Success. The IT Help Desk can assist employees with technology support.
Procedures to request plexiglass barriers are forthcoming and must be approved by the department supervisor. Persons that do not qualify for a plexiglass barrier will be provided with a face shield.
Vaccine Verification
Faculty and staff can voluntarily provide verification of a COVID-19 vaccination by submitting documents through the CUNYfirst portal. A user guide on how to upload proof of vaccination can be found here. The deadline for uploading vaccine information is ten days before the first week you are coming back. For example, if you are coming back the week of September 6, the deadline for uploading the vaccination information is August 26.
Your CUNYfirst Vaccine Verification page will indicate Approved status; additionally you will need to obtain a CUNY Vax Pass via Cleared4 and your LaGuardia Mobile App I.D will display a green border.
Be prepared – Before coming to campus, complete registration with Cleared4 and save your personal link to your phone. Access the link to display your CUNY Vax Pass each time you enter campus.You may also display your LaGuardia Mobile App I.D. with a green border
To ensure everyone’s safety vaccination documents must be verified. This can take up to ten days after you’ve submitted the documents on CUNYfirst. If you want to come to campus and your documents have not been verified in CUNYfirst, bring your original CDC COVID-19 vaccination record with you to the campus.
The Cleared4 CUNY Vax Pass notifications can be received via email and printed if needed.
RF Employees please see specific guidance here.
ACE Students attending in-person or hybrid classes must provide proof of vaccination prior to coming to campus. Specific steps will be emailed to ACE students.
Visitors must bring proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test taken within 7 days of coming to campus. Please see visitor registration instructions. COVID-19 Testing
Unvaccinated faculty, staff and students and those who choose not to share their vaccination status must test every seven days if they are on-campus or in the office weekly. Otherwise, they are responsible for making sure that before they go to a campus or office they test within the previous seven days.
LaGuardia is one of 20 CUNY testing sites; CUNY faculty, staff and students may utilize any of these sites but are encouraged to use the same site for retesting. Please review the detailed FAQs pertaining to CUNY’s COVID-19 Testing Program. - Prior to arrival, testing program participants will receive an email from Cleared4 (no-reply@cleared4work.com) to register online and make an appointment.
- LaGuardia’s testing site will be open 9 a.m.- 1 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Friday, and 1 p.m.- 4 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday.
- Upon arrival, participants must use the E-Building Van Dam entrance, show their LaGuardia I.D. and will then be directed up the staircase into the corridor on the second floor. There will be floor decals and stanchions in place to direct traffic.
- At the appointment, a testing program staff member will confirm the participant’s identity and assign a test kit with a unique number. Participants will self-swab 10x in each nostril. The sealed kit will be deposited in the designated location. Participants will then exit the area via the Van Dam exit.
- Please review the detailed FAQs pertaining to CUNY’s COVID-19 Testing Program.
For tests taken Monday through Thursday, results will be available in 24 hours.
For tests taken on Friday, results will be available in 48 hours.
For repeat testers, your test results expire every 7days, you will need to retake the test 48 hours in advance of the expiration date of results to ensure continuous access to campus.
All individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 or have any symptoms of Coronavirus should stay home, self-isolate, and immediately notify the College Coronavirus Designees using the applicable email: Please include your full name and contact number. In addition, employees notify their supervisor(s). All members of the Contact Tracing Team, including the Coronavirus Coordinator, Vice President Shahir Erfan, and the Coronavirus Liaison, Theresia Litvay-Sardou, have access to these email accounts and will be checking them frequently throughout the day, including off hours and weekends. Please note that notifications received between 9pm and 7am may experience a delayed response.
All notifications for individuals who meet the definition of a “Close Contact” will be completed by the College’s Contact Tracing Team, as required by the NYS DOH guidelines.
A “Close Contact” is defined as having been within 6 feet for at least 10 minutes in a 24-hour period with someone who tested positive for COVID-19, or is suspected to have COVID-19 based on symptoms, starting from 48-hours before illness onset until the time the person was isolated.
Regardless of whether the individual is symptomatic or asymptomatic, they must isolate for 10 days from the onset of symptoms or the positive test date. Exceptions included a vaccinated person who receives a negative test result within 3- 5 days after exposure and a person who had tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 90 days.
A proof of negative PCR test performed no earlier than three days prior to the anticipated return to campus date, is required for the campus access. Please do not use CUNY testing sites for this purpose. If a negative result cannot be achieved, then appropriate medical clearance to return to work is required to return to campus. - This requirement applies to all quarantines including symptoms, positive test, exposure and international travel.
- Exceptions need medical clearance to return to campus