Jeffrey Foster, Interim Vice President for College Life and Dean of Students, reminds students about the importance of the arrival quarantine and following protocol.
Dear Students,
We understand that the Arrival Quarantine is challenging, particularly when it has been so long since you’ve seen your friends and classmates. Further, we all recognize that the student experience on campus has been impacted by COVID and the necessary steps we’ve had to take to identify and contain the virus in our community. Arrival Quarantine is an important, yet temporary step we must utilize in order to position us for a more integrated student experience on campus this spring.
Arrival quarantine was also put into place as a result of what we learned from the fall, both here and on other campuses—where a single test upon arrival might fail to identify those students who were most recently exposed to the virus and be positive. This is especially important as new and even more contagious strains of the virus are being identified. At such an early stage, and without student compliance, this can quickly lead to community spread.
We will begin the second round of Arrival Testing tomorrow and students will be able to exit Arrival Quarantine in coming days as negative results from the second test are received. We will all need to adhere to room capacities, masking, and distancing guidelines but the temporary inconveniences we are experiencing will be well worth the shared effort as we move toward connecting in-person with friends and classmates.
Arrival Testing Update
Today, we received our final set of tests results from Arrival Testing this past weekend. It is important to note that testing on campus has identified 9 positive COVID-19 cases. It is essential that you continue to remain focused and comply with the College’s Arrival Quarantine protocols.
The positive cases have all been notified and are isolating. Close contacts are also being contacted. These cases are manageable; however, we want to do all that we can to contain the positive cases are on campus by each doing our part for one another and for the campus community at large.
I must also report, regrettably, that six students have not followed our Arrival Quarantine protocols and have already been reassigned to the remote cohort.
Over the short term, students are not permitted to visit one another in their single rooms. I want to be clear, like Arrival Quarantine, this is a short-term, temporary measure supporting our efforts to identify and contain COVID on our campus in support of our goals for the spring semester. I understand the impact of this inconvenience and ask for your patience as we continue to evaluate. Please know that I will continue to update you regarding this temporary limitation. We ask that you please continue to comply with the policies designed to keep you and your peers safe and healthy.
Let’s stay focused and finish this week strong.
Jeffrey D. Foster, D.Ed.
Interim Vice President for College Life and Dean of Students
Gettysburg College