July 26, 2021

To the Dartmouth community,

The COVID-19 task force has begun winding down its work and will disband at the end of July. Going forward, a small subgroup will remain in place to help coordinate COVID-19-related efforts and work with the provost and executive vice president on any updated guidelines for fall. Although the current virus transmission rate in our community is low, it is possible that as we move indoors later this year the rate will rise, and we may need to reinstate essential safety protocols such as increased testing, more masking, and physical distancing. Although we hope these precautions will not be necessary, we want to be prepared if circumstances require it. We will continue to keep you informed about changes to our community guidelines. The COVID-19 dashboard on the Dartmouth Together website (covid.dartmouth.edu) will be updated regularly.

Despite successful public health measures in New Hampshire and Vermont, the COVID-19 pandemic is not over, and cases are rising across the country, primarily among people who are unvaccinated. If you are not vaccinated, please get vaccinated as soon as possible to protect yourself and your community. Please also continue to follow best practices for COVID-19 safety:

** Stay home if you are ill, with COVID-19 or any other infectious illnesses.

** Participate in COVID-19 screening testing, currently provided Monday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Hopkins Center Courtyard Cafe and on Tuesdays from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Williamson Translational Research Building at DHMC. Vaccinated employees should be tested every 30 days. Unvaccinated employees will continue to receive reminder messages to support compliance with their twice-weekly testing requirement.

** If you are unvaccinated or feeling unwell, please wear a mask. Please also continue to be respectful of one another's privacy and refrain from commenting on or questioning someone's masking status or asking about their vaccine status, particularly in a classroom or meeting setting.

** Anyone can choose to test more frequently, but if you are feeling ill, you should contact Dick's House if you are a student or your primary care provider or Axiom Medical if you are faculty or staff. Axiom Medical can assist with arranging testing through Dartmouth's symptomatic drive-through testing option.

Thank you for doing your part to keep our community healthy. We hope you are having a relaxing summer with friends and family.

Sincerely,

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