April 6, 2021

To the Dartmouth community,

With spring term underway, we are providing updates about campus operations regarding COVID-19. We believe this information will address many of the inquiries our task force has been receiving, particularly from students, faculty, and staff who have been vaccinated. There is a lot of good news on the vaccine front, however many members of our community remain unvaccinated and the recent clusters of cases on campus remind us that until we have reached higher levels of immunity, we must be vigilant about following health guidelines and continue to be patient in the weeks ahead.

*** Gathering Guidance for Vaccinated Members of our Community In accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance, Dartmouth students who are fully vaccinated may gather in private, off-campus spaces without using face coverings or maintaining 6-foot distancing. However, the group must be limited to no more than nine individuals and all must be fully vaccinated. When in doubt about whether all individuals at a gathering are vaccinated, please continue to wear a mask and employ physical distancing. Because of the difficulty of defining a household in our student population, Dartmouth is not adopting the CDC guidance of allowing one unvaccinated household to gather with a vaccinated household for our student population.

Since our community is not yet fully vaccinated, we continue to require masking and physical distancing in all indoor and outdoor locations on campus and in off-campus public locations which include--but are not limited to--the Green, Dartmouth Library, town sidewalks, residential facilities including recognized Greek organizations and society facilities, the gym, and all academic buildings. In accordance with CDC recommendations, everyone--whether vaccinated or not--needs to continue to wear a mask and practice physical distancing in public spaces and avoid large gatherings. It is still not conclusively known whether vaccinated people can transmit the virus to others if the vaccinated person becomes infected, particularly with one of the current variants of concern.

Please also be aware of other guidance or requirements set by landlords, facility owners and operators, and towns you may visit. The complete CDC guidance can be found at: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated.html

Fully vaccinated faculty and staff who gather off campus, either indoors or outdoors, must follow all applicable state and local requirements, as well any other requirements applicable to the spaces in which they are gathering.

*** Reduced Testing Frequency for Vaccinated Members of our Community Faculty, staff, and students who have been vaccinated may submit documentation to Axiom Medical or to the Dartmouth College Health Service later this week to reduce their frequency of routine virus testing. Instructions for submitting vaccination documentation will be shared by email later this week. Once students, faculty, or staff have completed the appropriate forms, they will receive an email indicating they have been approved for less-frequent testing. The new less-frequent testing routine for vaccinated individuals is scheduled to begin on April 12.

*** Campus Access for Undergraduates Living in the Upper Valley Yesterday, undergraduates enrolled in spring term who had not been approved for on-campus access were able to apply for access through a waitlist administered by Student Affairs. The waitlist will provide access to facilities such as the library, gym, and other academic facilities. Residential facilities--including recognized Greek organizations and societies and campus dining facilities--where space remains limited, are not included in this access. Access to Dartmouth facilities remains subject to all occupancy limits, entry/exit patterns of travel, and usage requirements. Students who applied for access via the waitlist will be notified about their status by the end of the week in an email from the dean of the College.

*** Vaccine Access for Members of our Community Approximately 600 Dartmouth employees and students have been vaccinated in New Hampshire phases 2a and 2b through our recent partnership with the state of N.H. at the clinic in Lebanon for N.H. residents. Guidance about identification you need to bring to a vaccine appointment is available online at: -- New Hampshire https://www.vaccines.nh.gov/frequently-asked-questions#faq401 -- Vermont https://apps.health.vermont.gov/COVID/faq/#4780

We continue to advocate with the state of New Hampshire, both directly and through our partners, for vaccination on behalf of out-of-state students. Dartmouth, along with other groups such as the New Hampshire College and University Council, has reached out to the governor's office seeking discussion concerning the timeframe for eligibility for those students, particularly in light of a predicted increase in vaccine supply.

We strongly believe that it is in the public health interest of our community to have as many people vaccinated as possible. We would like all of our students to be able to receive both doses of a vaccine early enough to develop full immunity before they need to travel home at the end of the term. We are hopeful that this will be possible. We will share news with you on this front as it becomes available.

Be sure to get out and enjoy the warm weather as spring blossoms in Hanover and throughout the Upper Valley.

Sincerely,

Lisa V. Adams
Josh Keniston
Dartmouth COVID-19 Task Force Co-chairs