March 29 Weekly CIRT Campus Update

Dear students, staff and faculty:

Below, please find important campus, regional and national updates from the COVID-19 Incident Response Team (CIRT).

Campus Status

The campus is currently operating in GREEN mode. For an explanation of the college’s color-coded operating modes, please visit Status & Operating Modes.

Over the past seven days, there has been one positive case of COVID-19 reported through the on-campus campus screening program. For more data on the screening program, please visit Coronavirus Screening.

Extended Community Meeting

We look forward to seeing you in our bi-weekly community update meeting on Wednesday at https://smith.zoom.us/j/93293837876 (Smith login required). Please note that this week’s meeting will be 45 minutes.

Student and Employee Vaccine Update

On April 19, Massachusetts is opening vaccine eligibility to everyone age 16 and up. This rapid expansion of eligibility amid limited vaccine supply means that it will be difficult to find an appointment, and many members of our community will have to wait. Students should make vaccination plans with their move out date in mind. Exceptions will not be granted for extended stays in campus housing for the purpose of receiving a first or second vaccine dose. Students who live in another state should look to their home states for vaccine eligibility and appointments. Please contact studentaffairs@smith.edu with any questions.

Smith College has registered to be a vaccination site, but at the present time, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is sending vaccines to large scale and multi-community vaccination sites, not to institutions. As vaccines become more widely accessible, we hope that the college will be able to administer them. The college does not have the ability to schedule COVID-19 vaccination appointments on behalf of its students or employees.

As a reminder, the following people are eligible for vaccination at this time:

• Individuals aged 65 or older
• Individuals with two or more certain medical conditions
• Workers in early childhood education, daycare and K-12 education

If you are eligible, you can use this website to locate a vaccination site. You can also schedule appointments directly at our nearest locations UMass Vaccination Site and the Northampton Vaccination site at the Senior Center on Conz Street which is within walking distance to campus.

State and Federal Guidance Changes

While the CDC and Commonwealth have released updated guidance that relaxes some health and safety guidelines, it is important to note that Smith College is not changing any of its guidelines at this time. For the foreseeable future, the following restrictions remain in place to protect the health and safety of our students, staff and faculty:

• Vaccination status does not change any of the Culture of Care guidelines for individuals or groups (including masking, testing, etc.)
• Social event restrictions and gathering size restrictions remain unchanged.

Please send any questions to covid19info@smith.edu.

COVID-19 Incident Response Team (CIRT)
covid19info@smith.edu

134