December 17, 2020

To the community,

As 2020 draws to a close, we are grateful to all of you for everything you have done to help our community traverse an unusual fall and prepare for the new winter term. If this pandemic experience has taught us anything, it is humility--we've needed to adjust, adapt, readapt, and keep pivoting as new information was revealed and official guidance shifted. Thank you for staying the course and being flexible as policies and practices changed.

Although we are leaving the old year behind, we still have some challenging months ahead. January brings with it the cold and flu season, increased levels of indoor activity, and a rise in virus transmission. We need to remain vigilant.

In order to keep our community safe and healthy, we will be increasing the frequency of our surveillance testing in the new year. Currently, COVID-19 surveillance testing is taking place in Thompson Arena at 4 Summer St. (across the street from Leverone Field House) until Dec. 31. After that, testing will move back to Leverone on Jan. 3. Beginning in January, students in our community testing program and employees who need to be on campus will be tested twice weekly. Employees should be tested as soon as possible upon their return to on-site work or prior to returning. Please remember to schedule your appointment and complete the Daily Temperature and Self-Assessment screening (TSA) before entering the testing site. The testing clinic will be open on a shortened schedule for those who would like to do their test during the holiday weeks before their first day back on campus.

The measures Dartmouth has put in place are working, and we are taking great care to ensure that individuals working on-site are as safe as possible. On-site co-workers may be away from campus on the advice of Axiom medical professionals to ensure that they take the time needed, away from others, in case they could be contagious. On-site employees need to continue following the guidance for 6-foot physical distancing, face covering, handwashing, and other preventative measures. Doing so greatly reduces the risk of virus exposure and supports a safe working environment for everyone.

Even as the new vaccines are being rolled out across the country, it is important to remember that our proactive public health and safety measures remain critical to keeping virus transmission rates low until herd immunity has been achieved. At this time, we should all assume that anyone we come into contact with may have COVID-19, whether they are symptomatic or not.

Despite the stress and intensity we are all experiencing, we hope that during the holiday break you will find time to relax, recharge, and connect to the things that matter most to you. We will tackle these challenges together as we look forward to ushering in 2021.

Warmly,

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