November 18, 2020

To the community,

As the fall term winds to a close for much of campus and we all look forward to a well-deserved break, we write with a few updates regarding COVID-19 guidelines and Dartmouth operations.

Some key takeaways:

* COVID-19 testing for employees and students will continue through December.

* Dartmouth remains in Phase 3 of its re-opening plan, and those who can perform their work remotely should continue to do so.

* New Hampshire has updated its guidance to permit travelers to "test out" of quarantine after seven days.

* Masking protects the wearer as well as those around them.

And here are the details:

ONGOING COVID-19 TESTING COVID-19 surveillance testing will continue to be available in November and through December at Leverone Field House and in the Williamson Translational Research building on the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center campus. Those students, faculty, and staff who are in the Upper Valley should continue testing at their normal frequency (weekly for students and as instructed by Human Resources for faculty/staff). Follow this link to make appointments for testing: https://health-clinics.dartmouth.edu/clinics. Testing will be available at Leverone five days a week except for Thanksgiving week and the last two weeks of December, when testing will be available two to three days per week. Testing will be available at Williamson on Tuesdays throughout November and December.

As a reminder, testing at Leverone and Williamson is for asymptomatic people who have completed their Temperature and Self-Assessment (TSA) screening for that day and have been cleared to use campus facilities. Students who have symptoms or are not cleared to access campus based on their TSA should call the Dartmouth College Health Service at (603) 646-9400 for guidance. Faculty and staff with symptoms or a positive TSA should call Axiom Medical at (877) 502-9466.

Those who have been working remotely who anticipate coming to campus on a regular basis may schedule testing at Leverone or Williamson three to five business days before they plan to start regularly entering campus buildings. This timing will allow receipt of their test result before they return.

NEW TRAVEL GUIDANCE All New Hampshire residents and visitors/travelers must self-quarantine for 14 days following the last day of any high-risk travel, which includes travel internationally (including Canada); on a cruise ship; or domestically outside of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, or Vermont for nonessential purposes. People meeting the criteria for high-risk travel now have the option of shortening their quarantine by getting a molecular (PCR-based) test on day seven of their quarantine. If the test is obtained on day seven of quarantine, the person is asymptomatic, and the test is negative, then they may end their quarantine early, although they must still self-observe for symptoms of COVID-19 and isolate/seek additional testing if symptoms emerge.

The new option to "test out" of quarantine, which aligns with Vermont guidance, applies only to travel-related quarantine and not to anyone who is quarantining because of exposure to a person with COVID-19. Quarantine means that you may not leave your home, even for work, school, or other essential functions. For more information on New Hampshire travel guidelines, visit dartgo.org/nh-covid-travel. Other travel guidelines remain the same. Residents of Vermont must comply with Vermont guidance, which can be found at https://www.healthvermont.gov/covid-19/travel-quarantine.

DARTMOUTH REMAINS IN PHASE 3 Dartmouth is currently in Phase 3: Limited Access of its COVID-19 re-opening plan. During this phase, only activities that can't effectively be done at home are permitted on-site, with approval. At this time, we anticipate that employees now working remotely will continue to do so through March 2021. For more information on the five phases of the plan, visit https://covid.dartmouth.edu/oncampus-life.

Given the recent increase in virus transmission in our community, all Dartmouth dining locations are now providing take-out service only. This "grab-and-go" policy will be reevaluated on an ongoing basis starting at the end of this week.

MASK UP: PROTECT YOURSELF Because travel increases a person's chance of getting COVID-19 through close contact with others or contaminated public surfaces, those who are traveling home for the break should try to avoid public transportation, keep a distance of at least 6 feet from others, avoid gatherings with people who are not immediate household contacts, frequently sanitize their hands, and wear a cloth face-covering when in public areas. Emerging research indicates that wearing a face mask protects the wearer as well as those in their vicinity.

We wish you a safe and restful holiday (and the best of luck on your exams).