In accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendation, UVU strongly encourages that university-sponsored travel be delayed until the traveller is fully vaccinated.
Travel increases an individual’s chances of getting infected and spreading COVID-19. These guidelines apply to all university-sponsored travel that includes employees, students, and campus guests (individuals who are not employees of the university but are authorized to travel on bona fide university business, such as guest speakers and candidates for employment). In accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendation, UVU strongly encourages that university-sponsored travel be delayed until the traveller is fully vaccinated.
UVU employees and students are expected to comply with all national, state, and local safety guidelines — such as wearing a mask over your nose and mouth where applicable on planes, buses, trains, and other forms of public transportation. Be sure you are prepared with an appropriate face mask that you can comfortably wear for the duration of your air travel experience.
Vaccinated travellers
Individuals who are fully vaccinated* may travel safely within the United States. Certification of vaccination may be required during travel.
UVU does not require fully vaccinated travellers to be tested for COVID-19 before or after travel. However, vaccinated travellers may be subject to testing requirements before, during, and after travel due to business and/or government requirements. It is the traveller’s responsibility to identify and comply with certification of vaccination and testing requirements.
Unvaccinated travellers
Individuals who are not fully vaccinated* must be tested for COVID-19 (including a symptom checklist) prior to departure and upon returning. Please be aware that unvaccinated travellers may not be able to fully participate in common travel activities (such as dining in a restaurant) due to business and/or government proof of vaccination requirements.
The following should be completed within 48 hours of departure:
1. COVID-19 testing
Prior to departure: Each unvaccinated traveller will need to complete a rapid COVID-19 test, including
a symptom checklist, through UVU (free) or through Test Utah or Walgreens. Attach
the test result to the Concur travel reconciliation form. Failure to get tested within
48 hours of departure will result in a travel violation being reported to the divisional VP, and the traveller will be personally charged
or not reimbursed for travel arrangements already paid for.
Return to campus: Within 3–5 days of returning to campus, each traveller will need to complete a university
rapid COVID-19 test, including a symptom checklist. Confirmation of negative COVID-19
test results must be uploaded in Concur as part of the travel reconciliation process.
2. Campus guests COVID-19 testing
Campus guests (individuals who are not employees of the university but are authorized
to travel on bona fide university business, such as guest speakers and candidates
for employment) must provide negative test results to the hosting department within
48 hours prior to their departure. The test must be taken within seven days of travelling.
Most guests will be able to obtain free testing from their city, county, or state
health departments. If such testing is not available to a department’s guest, the
guest may obtain a test from nationwide pharmacies, such as Walgreens, or via at-home testing kits, such as empowerDX. Pre-departure testing fees are an appropriate travel expense and are reimbursable
to a department’s guest or payable directly by the hosting department.
Domestic travel
UVU is not currently restricting travel within the United States.
Due to changing country, state, and local guidelines, and the increased risk of getting infected with COVID, airline reservations should only be booked through UVU’s Concur system or through Christofferson Travel. Booking airline reservations through Concur or Christofferson Travel will ensure that the university is able to recover the cost of any cancelled or postponed travel. Individuals who choose to book directly with an airline or other third-party vendor will be personally responsible for the cost of any cancelled or postponed flight.
Please review the CDC’s established safety criteria to ensure you travel as safely as possible. Check the CDC’s travel planner for local, state, and national restrictions before you travel. For example, some governments and businesses may require proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 test to enter places such as restaurants, shopping areas, or museums. Travellers are responsible to be aware of such guidelines or restrictions and ensure they will be able to meet all travel requirements before departing.
University-sponsored travellers are expected to follow all country, state, and local COVID-19 mandates and quarantine guidelines. Please note that because location-specific guidelines are very fluid. UVU does not publish nor maintain a list of such COVID-19 health guidelines and requirements.
Travel authorization
The following should be completed a minimum of 14 days prior to travelling:
a) Research and review safety guidelines set by the companies you will encounter while
travelling to ensure that adequate precautions are in place to increase safety and
prevent spread. Examples include but are not limited to:
- Transportation (e.g., airline, car service)
- Hotel accommodations
- Conference or competition venue
- Conference or competition host
- Restaurants
b) Concur travel request: Traveller must submit and obtain full approval of a travel
request in the Concur system before making any travel arrangements. Travel requests
must include:
- Conference or competition agenda
- Roster of those travelling (if applicable)
- Completed liability form for each student traveller
Supervisor responsibilities
Travellers and their supervisors should consider the risks that may be associated
with activities in which a traveller may participate at the destination. One or more
of the following factors add additional risk to travel. The traveller and supervisor
should consider whether the traveller:
Illness or exposure
If any of the following apply to individual travellers at the time of the scheduled
departure, the traveller is not permitted to travel:
Contact the UVU Travel Office at travel@uvu.edu or x8965 for assistance to postpone or cancel your trip.
If you become ill while travelling, you should seek medical attention. You should not attempt to travel by plane, bus, or rail if you are sick.
During and after travel, if you develop any symptoms of COVID-19 or if you have been
exposed to the virus, you must complete UVU’s COVID-19 Self-Report Form. You are also encouraged to get tested for the virus right away.
International travel
UVU is prohibiting all UVU-sponsored international travel through the end of December 2021. By mid-December, this restriction will be reviewed to determine continuation or modification for January 2022 moving forward.
University travellers planning to travel internationally in the foreseeable future will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Any exception to the above travel restriction (such as previously authorized international travel) must be approved by the Office for Global Engagement, the appropriate divisional vice president, and the provost prior to making travel arrangements. Requests for international travel exceptions must be submitted to the Office for Global Engagement at least four weeks prior to the requested travel for their review and recommendation before submitting to the provost for final approval.
Please contact the UVU Travel Office at travel@uvu.edu or x8965 with any questions about these guidelines.
*You are considered fully immune, or protected from the virus, two weeks after your final dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Two-dose vaccines: Two weeks after the second shot (you need both shots to be fully protected)
One-dose vaccines: Two weeks after the shot (you only need one shot to be fully protected)
