November 4, 2020
To the community,
With the holiday season approaching, we know that many of you are considering whether and how to connect with family and friends at Thanksgiving and beyond. In these uncertain times, we all want to gather with the people we love, take refuge in our traditions, and return to a state of normalcy, but many of us are wrestling with the question of how to do so safely, given the surge in COVID-19 transmission across the country and in many other parts of the world.
As a reminder, Dartmouth strongly discourages personal travel at this time. Faculty and staff who choose to travel, including day trips and regardless of their method of transportation, must, upon return, meet a series of requirements before accessing Dartmouth campus buildings. In addition, faculty, staff, and anyone else who needs to be on campus will need to follow the quarantine requirements for their state of residence outside of work. Please check in with your supervisor/research advisor if your planned travel will include a mandatory quarantine period, as it may impact your ability to return to work and require use of personal or vacation time. Faculty and staff may contact Human Resources at human.resources@dartmouth.edu with questions. Dartmouth travel guidelines are available on the Dartmouth Together COVID-19 website at https://covid.dartmouth.edu/travel. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also offers suggestions and guidelines for celebrating safely, including travel advice: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/holidays.html.
Students returning to campus in January will receive specific instructions from their respective schools regarding arrival dates, quarantine procedures, and arrival testing.
The onset of winter weather means that many activities must be moved inside, including teaching, dining, studying, rehearsals, athletic practice, and social gatherings. Given this transition, and the likelihood that the coronavirus may spread more easily through airborne transmission in enclosed spaces, the task force is reviewing policies related to these types of activities. As Provost Helble mentioned in his most recent Community Conversation webcast, we are also focused on ways to enjoy using more of the campus in collective activities and are considering how to open more indoor spaces and provide for greater mobility.
As opportunities for virus transmission increase, each of us can be a part of the solution: Remember to get a flu vaccine (https://dartgo.org/fluvaccine), practice physical distancing of at least 6 feet, wear a mask whenever you leave your residence, wash your hands frequently, pay attention to the cleaning and disinfection of surfaces, respect group-size limits, and avoid crowded indoor spaces.
Staff and faculty who are planning holiday celebrations within their schools and divisions are asked to conduct those functions remotely and should avoid in-person gatherings on or off campus.
Please also make time to care for yourself. The Dartmouth Wellness website (https://www.dartmouth.edu/wellness/) has resources and suggestions for coping with the impact of the pandemic on many aspects of our lives.
We are thankful for all you are doing to preserve the health of our community. As we approach the end of the undergraduate term and the first half of the academic year for our graduate and professional schools, it is heartening to see the low number of active virus cases at Dartmouth, especially on those days when our COVID-19 dashboard shows zero active cases for students/employees. There is light at the end of the tunnel. We will get there together.
Sincerely,
Dr. Lisa Adams
Josh Keniston
Dartmouth COVID-19 Task Force Co-chairs