Get ready for next week! COVID reminders for Tuck students

 

January 8, 2022

Dear Students and Colleagues,

Below are six reminders to help make our return to in-person classes safe and successful next week:

  1. Arrival testing: All students, regardless of where you spent the winter break, are required to conduct a PCR test within 48 hours of arrival to campus. (Part of the reason we were online this past week was to give students time to return to the Upper Valley and start testing before returning to in-person classes.) Tuck students must receive a negative PCR test result before returning to in-person class next week.  
    • Take-home test drop-off locations are open now and will close today, Saturday, January 8 at 2:30 p.m. 
    • In-person testing at West Gym is open today, Saturday, January 8 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. 
    • There is no campus testing on Sunday, January 9. If you are not tested by Sunday, your next soonest opportunity to test is Monday when drop boxes open at 7:30 a.m.  
  2. Surveillance testing: In the weeks ahead, please conduct your required weekly surveillance testing and encourage your friends and classmates to do the same.  
  3. Masking: Given the high transmissibility of the omicron variant, we ask for your partnership in recommitting to masking when indoors. We strongly encourage the use of medical-grade masks (e.g., the free KN95 face masks provided in your Tuck mailboxes) or snug-fitting multi-ply masks, as early data show they reduce transmission of the virus more than cloth masks. 
  4. Boosters: All Dartmouth students, faculty, and staff are required to receive their COVID-19 booster shot by January 31. Those who are not yet eligible for a booster by that date must receive the booster within 30 days of becoming eligible according to CDC eligibility guidance. Dartmouth is hosting on-campus booster clinics on Monday and Tuesday. Read more here. 
  5. Isolation: Dartmouth has revised its COVID-19 isolation protocol in light of the CDC’s updated guidelines. Effective immediately, individuals who test positive for COVID-19 will be required to isolate for a minimum of five days and will be released from isolation upon receipt of a negative rapid antigen test result or a full 10-day isolation. FAQs about isolation are here. This five-day standard is now consistent across all of Dartmouth and New Hampshire. Note: If you received different guidance (a longer isolation period) from Dick’s House earlier this week, that was because of previous state guidance. 
    • Rapid antigen testing, the testing that is required to shorten isolation (pending you meet all the health standards), is available from the trailer outside of Dick’s House. Please note, antigen test results language differ from the PCR test results. Antigen test results are not positive/negative, antigen results will read "inconclusive", which means you will need to retest or "no follow up needed".
  6. Tuck’s remote learning system is for students who have been granted a formal accommodation allowing remote attendance by the MBAPO or who are following public health guidance to not attend classes in person. Such public health guidance includes: testing positive for COVID, awaiting COVID test results following contact tracing, awaiting COVID test results after return to the upper valley after break, or exhibiting COVID symptoms. Students who self-register in this system “affirm” that they fall into one of these categories. Registering as a remote learner for any reason other than a formal accommodation or following public health guidance is a violation of the Tuck Honor Principle. 

We all look forward to seeing you in the halls of Tuck next week.  

Be safe this weekend! 

Vincent Mack