May 13, 2021

To the Dartmouth community,

The success to date of vaccine rollout nationally, and the accompanying reduction in cases, provides Dartmouth with a path to continually increase on-campus activities in the months ahead. The continued spread of COVID-19 in some locations nationally and internationally and the emergence of variants will continue to require vigilance, but we are heartened to see the trend heading in the right direction.

You'll recall that early in the pandemic, we created a five-phase re-opening plan to guide us through this time. You can find the plan at https://covid.dartmouth.edu/oncampus-life. Today we write to let you know that we are working on a timeline that will allow for increased campus activity in a phased and coordinated fashion. The dates below reflect our plan to move to the next phase of the re-opening plan based on anticipated improvement in public health conditions; updates to federal, state, and local guidelines; and the planning and mobilization time needed for departments across campus to modify their operations. If any of these elements are not in place, we may need to pause or slow our reopening plans.

We are currently in phase three, Limited Access, of the re-opening plan. Beginning on June 1, we will move to phase four, the Less Limited access level. This level of access will provide more flexibility for people to be on campus, while we all continue to abide by health and safety regulations. Key changes in the access are outlined here. (The plan, on the Dartmouth Together COVID-19 website, will be updated next week to include further detail.)

LESS LIMITED ACCESS: EFFECTIVE JUNE 1

* Masking, COVID-19 screening testing, and completion of the TSA will continue to be required. Those who are vaccinated can submit their vaccine record to reduce their testing requirements.

* Six feet of distancing will still be required when dining with others, because of the need to remove masks. Similarly, 6 feet of distancing will be required during activities requiring exertion, such as athletic activities and performances. In other situations, 6 feet of distancing is encouraged when possible, but the requirement will be lowered to 3 feet.

* Visitors may enter outdoor spaces on Dartmouth's campus without prior approval. To access indoor spaces for essential purposes, visitors must have a Dartmouth faculty or staff sponsor who will be responsible for completing a registration form and ensuring that the registered visitor follows Dartmouth's visitor requirements, including access requirements for those who are not fully vaccinated and visiting Dartmouth from outside New England. Visitors are people who do not attend Dartmouth, work or reside at Dartmouth, or have a current business or academic relationship with Dartmouth; this includes alumni. Visitors are typically on campus for a few days or less and will be accompanied by a staff or faculty member during their time in campus buildings.

* Events can have more than 25 attendees in pre-approved locations managed by Dartmouth's Conference and Events department. Event capacity will be determined by the capacity of a space and should not exceed 100 people indoors or 200 people outdoors without a special exemption. Informal gatherings will continue to be limited to 9 or fewer people. Given the continued constraints on event capacity, only the previously announced commencement and investiture events will be able to accommodate guests.

* The number of faculty and staff working on campus will begin to increase as additional services are provided. (Currently, nearly 1,000 faculty and staff work on campus each week.) Faculty and staff who do not need to be on campus, or do not need to be on campus full-time to perform their work, continue to be encouraged to work remotely. This is a good time to begin planning with department heads and supervisors for the anticipated return this fall for most employees.

FULL ACCESS: ANTICIPATED ON AUG. 1

More detail on Full Access, the least-restrictive level on our five-phase plan, will be developed over the coming months. Here are high-level details to help community members begin planning:

* All students who will be on campus are required to be fully vaccinated with a vaccine that has received full approval or emergency use authorization by the FDA or emergency use listing by the World Health Organization. Faculty and staff who can be vaccinated are strongly urged to do so.

* Masks may be required for indoor communal locations.

* Beginning in fall term, the majority of classes traditionally taught in person will return to that mode of instruction; certain graduate and professional programs may elect to adopt hybrid or other instructional methods best suited to the program's needs.

* Studios and research laboratories will return to full capacity.

* Residence halls will return to full capacity, with a small number of rooms set aside for quarantine and isolation.

* Dining rooms will increase capacity; however, there may be limits on the number of people allowed at tables.

* Our buildings and communal space will return to full capacity without distancing requirements. To enable this, ventilation will be adjusted and/or air filters will be installed in communal locations. (You may have noticed the boxes of air filters stored at the Leverone testing site as we continue to update campus filtration systems.)

We are excited to be able to move toward more normal interaction and operation on campus as we ease the restrictions that have been in place for more than a year. Thank you for your continued cooperation.

Sincerely,

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