September 27 Weekly CIRT Campus Update
CIRT Update
Published September 27, 2021
Dear students, staff and faculty:
Below, please find important campus, regional and national updates from the COVID-19 Incident Response Team (CIRT).
Campus Status
Over the past seven days, there have been three positive case of COVID-19 reported through the on-campus campus screening program. For more data on the screening program, please visit please visit Coronavirus Screening.
Booster Update
The college is tracking the approval process of COVID-19 booster shots through the CDC and FDA. On September 24, the CDC issued guidance regarding Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 boosters.
At this time, the college is strongly recommending those eligible for a booster shot to receive one through their local pharmacy or primary care provider. Students who are eligible for a booster and unable to access one locally should reach out to the Schacht Center for Health and Wellness.
Student Guideline Updates
Earlier today, students received the following three updates to our Culture of Care guidelines.
- First, dining halls will return to 100% indoor seating capacity on October 1, 2021. We will continue to offer to-go meals for students who wish to eat outside or in other spaces.
- Second, we will continue twice-weekly asymptomatic student testing through the end of the fall term. High-frequency testing is one of the best tools we have to identify and manage new cases and maintain a healthy campus community.
- Third, we will continue to limit residential house access to Smith College students in on-campus the testing program through the end of the fall term. Case rates remain high in the region, and we believe that maintaining this policy continues to be effective and prudent.
Student and Employee Flu Shot Guidance
The college is working on obtaining flu vaccines for students and employees. Students will have priority for the vaccines, so employees are encouraged to get vaccines through local clinics or their primary care providers. Flu shot clinic times and locations will be announced as soon as possible.
Employee Testing Expectation Reminder
Now that most employees are back working together on campus, we want to ensure everyone understands the COVID-19 mandatory testing expectations.
As a reminder, employees are required to participate in the college’s COVID-19 screening program and will be tested weekly for those fully vaccinated and twice-weekly for those who have an approved exemption from vaccination.
- If you currently work remotely 100% of the time, you do not need to participate in the testing program unless/until you plan to visit campus.
- If you currently work remotely 100% of the time but come to campus to utilize services like the library or gym, you must be tested once a week.
- Employees who know they will be away from campus for at least a week (vacation, sick time, etc) should inform the Testing Team by emailing them at testingandtracing@smith.edu. Employees taking vacation or personal days for at least a week should submit time-off requests in Workday a week ahead of time to avoid compliance notification errors. Employees who are away for less than one week of time must participate in weekly testing.
Employees who fail to comply with the mandatory COVID-19 testing protocol will face corrective action up to and including written warnings, being placed on unpaid leave and including termination.
If you are experiencing any symptoms, have tested positive for COVID-19 outside of our testing program, or think you may have been exposed to COVID-19, please complete this form and a member of the contact tracing team will be in touch with you.
As always, please send any questions to covid19info@smith.edu
COVID-19 Incident Response Team (CIRT)
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