COVID-19 Protocols Changing on Monday, June 13, 2022

CIRT Update

Published May 31, 2022

Dear students, staff and faculty:

Following a successful commencement weekend and two reunion weekends, Smith is transitioning to summer programming. The majority of students have moved off campus, and on June 2, more than 500 Smith College School for Social Work students, staff and faculty will begin their on-campus summer session. 

Beginning Monday, June 13, 2022, we will change our COVID-19 protocols. 

Context

Nationally, we continue to see an increase in cases; however, the rate of increase is slowing. In Massachusetts and Hampshire County we have seen the average number of cases on a downward trajectory since May 18, 2022. 

Smith College returned to mandatory indoor masking on May 6, 2022, based on the case rate on campus; however, while Massachusetts as a whole has been in the CDC “high risk” category in which they recommend indoor masking, Hampshire County has not reached that status during the current surge in cases. 

Summer Protocols - Effective June 13, 2022

Testing

  • Mandatory asymptomatic testing will be discontinued. 
  • Symptomatic testing will remain available and strongly encouraged for all members of the Smith community through the Schacht Center for Health and Wellness.
  • Optional asymptomatic testing will remain available for current students, staff and employees. Optional tests may only be taken once per week. Further information on how to schedule and take an asymptomatic test will be provided in the coming weeks. 

Masking

  • Indoor masking will be required in classrooms (with the exception of allowing a single presenter to remove their mask to lecture or present).
  • Indoor masking will be required in gatherings of 30 or more individuals.
  • Indoor masking will continue to be required in the Schacht Center for Health and Wellness and the COVID-19 Testing Center.
  • Masking will be optional and welcomed in all other settings, including office spaces and student residences. Please remember to be supportive to those who choose to continue to wear masks, and avoid asking why someone is masking.

Communications

  • Due to the move away from mandatory asymptomatic testing and the associated change in reported data, the COVID-19 dashboard will be discontinued. 
  • Positive results from symptomatic PCR testing or employee/student self-testing will be collected by the Schacht Center for Health and Wellness. Any spikes in cases or other critical health information will be shared with the community. 
  • The COVID-19 website will be updated to reflect these protocols. 

We will continue to carefully monitor local, regional and national health conditions and adjust our policies accordingly. As always, we extend our deepest gratitude to the community for the shared efforts over the past two years. We wish everyone a safe and rewarding summer. 

Please direct any questions to covid19info@smith.edu.



134