Emory University limits internet access for unboosted students

Emory University has launched a program to limit internet access by students who have refused to get a COVID-19 booster shot, the school said.

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The program is designed to encourage students to get a COVID-19 booster shot. The school’s policy requires students and faculty to have a COVID-19 vaccination and a booster shot.

Students who have not gotten three vaccinations were notified in February that their internet access would be limited, or the speed slowed if they did not either show they had the booster or had requested an exemption from getting the shot.

About 1,300 students had their Wi-Fi restricted around the week of March 14.

The executive director of Emory’s COVID-19 response and recovery, Amir St. Clair, told the Emory Wheel that about half the students who had not had the booster then got it or requested an exemption after the program began.

‘The Wi-Fi restrictions were a valuable compliance measure to help promote participation,” St. Clair said. “Our hope is that it will continue to have an impact.”

St. Clair told the website that if students submit proof of booster vaccination, their internet access should be restored within a few days.

Exemptions must be reviewed and approved first, St. Clair said, which can take seven to 10 days.

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