Following a decline in the number of students testing positive for COVID-19 to fewer than five new cases per day over the weekend, Dartmouth confirmed that restrictions put in place to contain the recent outbreak have been eased.
In a COVID-19 Task Force email to the Dartmouth community Monday, Lisa Adams, a physician and a professor of medicine at the Geisel School of Medicine, and Josh Keniston, vice president of campus services and institutional projects, announced that Dartmouth Library’s Baker-Berry Library, the Collis Center, the Top of the Hop, Kemeny Hall, Alumni Gym, and Zimmerman Fitness Center reopened Monday morning for students and employees who are approved to be on campus.
In a community message Friday, Provost Joseph Helble had announced that restrictions would be eased Monday, contingent on two factors: that there were no major COVID-19 guideline violations over the weekend, and that there continue to be fewer than five new cases each day of students testing positive for the virus. With those conditions met, the task force allowed the new guidelines to take effect.
But Adams and Keniston, who are co-chairs of the task force, also noted that students should continue to refrain from visiting one another in their rooms or gathering in hallways, and that common spaces and kitchens in residence halls will remain closed. In addition, dining options will continue to be “grab and go,” they wrote.
“Please continue to mask up everywhere, both on campus and in town; face coverings are critically important in reducing disease transmission, even if you have been vaccinated. It is also essential to maintain 6 feet of physical distance in all directions when interacting with others,” Adams and Keniston wrote.
The task force asked community members to continue to follow Dartmouth and local COVID-19 guidelines, including restrictions on the size of social gatherings. “Attending events and gatherings increases your risk of getting and spreading COVID-19,” they wrote.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control today released new guidelines for people who have been fully vaccinated and the task force is reviewing these recommendations.
“We will update the community on any changes to our own policies in the coming weeks. In the meantime, current guidelines continue to apply for all students in campus housing or with campus access,” Adams and Keniston wrote.
“Thank you for helping to maintain the health and safety of our community.”
For the latest information on Dartmouth’s response to the pandemic visit the COVID-19 website.
