Health & Safety

All members of the campus community need to take persistent steps to stay well and protect each other on campus and in the community.

The following health and safety policies and guidelines are based upon current recommendations with the caveat that they could change based on new local, state and national policies.

Social Contract

Pratt Institute asks each member of our community to pledge accountability by signing the social contract and agreeing to abide by the requirements and expectations that will reduce the spread of COVID-19. The social contract is designed to be an addition to the existing community standards, by which we all agree to abide as members of this community.

Additionally, remember that the risk of contracting COVID-19 is not bound by race or nationality. If you are aware of anyone in our community who has experienced or witnessed any incident of bias, discrimination, or harassment, please report it using the Bias Incident Reporting Form.

General COVID-19 Health Guidance

All students, faculty, and staff should be reminded to continue to follow the key COVID-19 prevention measures: 

  • Stay home if sick. 
  • Keep physical distance when possible. If you are not vaccinated, stay at least 6 feet from others. 
  • Keep your hands clean. Wash your hands often with soap and water. Use an alcohol based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available. 
  • Wear a snug-fitting face mask.

Face Coverings/Masks

Effective October 3, masks are required while instruction is being provided in indoor spaces, including in classrooms, studios, labs, shops, libraries. Masks are otherwise optional in indoor spaces when instruction is not occurring. Masks are required at all times in the Pratt Health Center.

Face coverings are not required outdoors. Masks are available for pick up at all Public Safety locations.

Eating and Drinking

  • Masks may be removed in classrooms, studios, shops, labs briefly when you eat and drink, keeping some measure of distance between yourself and others.

Events

  • Masks are optional at events for speakers, hosts, or attendees. Food servers are required to wear masks.

Additional information about how to properly wear, remove, and wash face coverings is available on the CDC website. 

  • Students, faculty, and staff can pick up a face mask at any of the Public Safety booths on campus.
  • Pratt strongly recommends all students, faculty, and staff wear surgical, KN95, KF94, or N95 masks to provide greater protection.

Those community members who cannot wear a face covering, due to medical reasons, must contact the Learning Access Center (L/AC) for students and Human Resources for faculty and staff.

Personal Hygiene

  • Frequent handwashing with soap and water for 20 seconds or more and the use of hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available is strongly urged when on campus.  There are over forty (40) hand sanitizer station locations on the Brooklyn campus and more than twelve (12) stations on the Manhattan campus.  
  • All students, faculty, and staff are urged to avoid touching their eyes, nose and mouth;
  • When possible, avoid sharing items such as phones, computers, desks, work stations, or other work tools or equipment;
  • When possible, avoid touching common surfaces in public areas. Wash your hands or use hand sanitizer immediately after you have contact in a public area or publicly accessible hard surface

Physical (Social) Distancing

Pratt is supportive of students, faculty, or staff who choose to continue to maintain physical distance. Physical distancing is encouraged wherever possible indoors and all students, faculty, and staff should avoid crowding.

CDC guidance continues to recommend physical distancing as a means of COVID-19 prevention.

Stay at Home Policy

If a student or employee develops symptoms of an infectious disease, the student or employee should not be at school or in the workplace. Pratt Institute instructs all students and employees to remain at home if they are unwell. Students should inform their professor(s) and Health Services. Employees should inform Human Resources. All Pratt students and employees should follow New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance regarding obtaining medical care and isolating.