March 26, 2020 UPDATE

To the Dartmouth community,

On March 24, Vermont Gov. Phil Scott issued a Stay Home/Stay Safe expanded executive order to residents that restricts and minimizes many additional activities outside of the home. The order permits Vermont institutions to continue their critical public health and safety functions. While we are a New Hampshire institution, many of our employees live in Vermont, and we understand that the governor's directive may have raised questions about how it applies to them.

The remote work policies we have put in place over the last several weeks are aligned with the intentions of the Vermont Stay Home/Stay Safe order. All employees should be working from home unless they have been directed by their manager or supervisor to be on campus to perform a necessary function. Faculty requiring internet connections and other critical resources may access their office space. If you have been identified as a necessary worker, regardless of where you live, you should continue to report to work as your supervisor has indicated. Dartmouth remains open as we support academic continuity, maintain our campus, and serve our students--some of whom have been unable to return home and continue to live on campus. Students living off-campus should stay home to limit the number of people present on campus and in our buildings.

We understand the uncertainty and fast-moving nature of this public health crisis and how unsettling and disruptive it continues to be. Further information about our workplace policies and resources can be found on the COVID-19 website at https://news.dartmouth.edu/covid-19/workplace-policies-and-resources. The site includes a robust list of frequently asked questions and updates on how Dartmouth is responding to the pandemic.

The College is working with representatives from the state of New Hampshire, our regional Multi-Agency Coordinating Entity (known as MACE), and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in their search for possible alternative care sites to accommodate between 125 and 150 patients needing low-intensity care. We are considering use of our larger indoor athletic facilities for this purpose and will let you know as soon as a determination has been made. We anticipate that such a facility would be set up within a week or two after a location has been identified.

Thank you, as always, for everything you are doing for Dartmouth. We appreciate your dedication, service, and collective action to keep yourself and those around you safe and healthy.

Sincerely,

Dr. Lisa Adams
Joshua Keniston

Co-chairs, Dartmouth COVID-19 Task Force