A cluster of three undergraduates living off campus have tested positive for COVID-19, wrote COVID-19 Task Force co-chairs Lisa Adams and Josh Keniston in an email to faculty, students, and staff today.

The students, who have had limited access to campus, are in isolation, resting comfortably, and receiving medical care and support, the email said.

The state of New Hampshire identifies a cluster of cases (also referred to as an outbreak) as three or more people identified as a result of a case investigation and contact tracing as having active COVID-19, or three or more patients with the virus who are discovered to be linked, with the linkage established outside of a case investigation and contact tracing. 

Dartmouth is working with the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services and the Vermont Department of Health as part of a contact tracing investigation to identify and quarantine anyone who was in close contact with the students in the two days prior to the onset of their symptoms or notice of their positive test results.

“As a reminder, there are many ways that you can help to reduce the transmission of the virus,” wrote Adams and Keniston, adding that people should wear a mask wherever they go, maintain 6-foot physical distance from others, avoid large group gatherings, restrict travel to the Upper Valley, discourage visitors from coming to campus, and wash their hands regularly and use hand sanitizer.

More information on virus transmission prevention and COVID-19 is available on the Dartmouth COVID-19 website. Dartmouth posts information about its COVID-19 case count and ongoing virus testing results daily on the COVID-19 dashboard.

For the latest information on Dartmouth’s response to the pandemic visit the COVID-19 website.

Susan Boutwell can be reached at susan.j.boutwell@dartmouth.edu.