All Dartmouth employees, including those who have been approved for fully remote work, must submit proof of COVID-19 vaccination or receive a medical or religious exemption by Dec. 8.
That is the official message staff and faculty received in an email from Chief Human Resources Officer Scot Bemis on Monday, reiterating an announcement from Interim Provost David Kotz ’86 from last week’s Community Conversations webcast.
Previously, all employees accessing Dartmouth facilities were required to be fully vaccinated or have an exemption. The decision to include remote employees in Dartmouth’s vaccine mandate is a response to a recent executive order from the federal government “requiring institutions that do business with the government to ensure their employees are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Dec. 8, 2021,” Bemis said.
Later this week, employees for whom Dartmouth currently has no record of either vaccination or exemption status will receive an email reminding them of the need to provide it.
Individuals who are already fully vaccinated but have not yet provided their vaccine documentation to Axiom Medical, Dartmouth’s occupational health partner, should submit these records as soon as possible. Employees may request an exemption through the Office of Institutional Diversity and Equity.
Dartmouth is finalizing details about the implementation of the new policy and will share more information by late next week.
“In the meantime, please continue to complete your required COVID-19 testing,” Bemis said. “Thank you for your continued cooperation and steadfast commitment to the health and safety of the Dartmouth community.”
All community members accessing Dartmouth facilities who are not in-season athletes are required to be tested once a week; unvaccinated community members and student athletes are required to test twice weekly.
As of Wednesday, Oct. 20, all undergraduates will be eligible to participate in Dartmouth’s take-home COVID-19 testing program. On Friday, undergraduates received a message from the COVID-19 Response Team inviting them to pick up test kits and personalized labels from West Gym, beginning Wednesday. Tests may be left at several locations on campus within 12 hours of completion.
For the most recent information on Dartmouth’s response to the pandemic, visit the Dartmouth Together COVID-19 website.