Student Guidance

 VACCINATION

Vaccines remain our best defense against COVID-19. Vaccinations and boosters reduce the risk of infection, shorten the period during which the virus may be transmitted to others, and offer strong protection against serious illness. Accordingly, vaccinations and boosters are required for every individual (when eligible) who will be studying and working on campus.

Student vaccination records with a booster are due by Feb. 1, 2022 or within 14 days of being eligible to be vaccinated. 

Eligible individuals are those who received their second dose of Pfizer at least five months ago, the Moderna vaccine at least six months ago or the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at least two months ago.

Vaccination records must be uploaded to the Student Health Services portal. 

Students who do not comply with the vaccination requirement or who have not arranged for an exemption will not be permitted to be enrolled for the semester.

The College can help facilitate vaccination in collaboration with Hartford HealthCare, Community Health, or other local partners. The College will be hosting two vaccine clinics on campus on Jan. 26 and 29. 

Fully vaccinated is defined as having the original vaccine doses [two-dose series (Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna) or a single dose of Janssen/Johnson & Johnson vaccine, or following the protocol for other WHO-approved vaccines for students living outside the United States] and being two weeks past a booster dose.

If you received an approved exemption from a COVID-19 vaccination, you will continue to be exempt from the booster requirement. If you are requesting a new exemption from the booster for medical or religious beliefs please email Student Health Services (shs@conncoll.edu). Student Health Services will then follow-up with you on the steps to take to apply for the exemption.

A person’s vaccination status is a personal medical matter, and as a result, individuals must not ask others about their vaccination status. Choices that people make to protect themselves, their family or the community are theirs to make and one should not assume that, simply because a person chooses to take certain precautions (e.g. wear a mask, socially distance), it communicates anything about their vaccination status.

 MASK WEARING

Everyone must have a mask with them at all times.

It is recommended that people wear a surgical mask, KN95 mask or N95 mask. If wearing a cloth mask, it is recommended that it has filters designed into the multiple cloth layers. All masks must be covering the nose and mouth and be tight fitting around the face. While supplies are available, KN95 and N95 masks will be provided at the Testing Center.  Please review CDC guidance on masks.  

Indoor mask wearing:

• You are required to wear masks in all indoor spaces on campus.
• You may remove your mask when eating, during bathroom activities that require removal of masks, and in your room with your door closed. You may remove your mask in your room/apartment with the individual(s) you live with.
• Masks are required in the fitness center and other recreational athletic facilities.
• Mask policies for varsity athletic practices and competitions will follow NCAA and/or NESCAC protocols. 

Outdoor mask wearing:

• You do not need to wear masks outdoors unless you are socializing in particularly close proximity to others. Masks are also not required when engaged in athletic activities, as well as dance, theater and music performances.

If not fully vaccinated, masks must be worn when engaged in indoor or outdoor athletic activity, dance, theater, or music performance. If a mask cannot be worn during these activities (e.g. NCAA/NESCAC protocols), the particular situation will be evaluated. 

It is highly recommended that people wear masks in the local community. 

Wearing a mask adds an increased level of protection for individuals and the community. The CDC recommends, in particular, continued masking and physical distancing for individuals with weakened immune systems.

 SOCIAL DISTANCING

Social distancing is not required. Individuals may choose to socially distance as an added level of precaution. Depending on the circumstances on campus, there may be room/apartment capacity limits. Please see the section below on Student Informal Socializing group size.

 STUDENT INFORMAL SOCIALIZING GROUP SIZE

Alert Level 1 - Green: There are no COVID-19 related limitations, but you must follow student handbook group size limitations that are not related to COVID-19. Social host gatherings approved based on COVID-19 circumstances.

Alert Level 2 - Yellow: If gathering in a residence hall room or apartment, one peer per room/apartment resident. No more than roughly four people together in large open areas, eg. Cro, library, etc. (wearing masks and six-foot distancing if eating). Social host gatherings suspended.

Alert Level 3 - Orange: Gatherings inside are not permitted. Students may be with roommates/apartmentmates. Outside, students may gather with a maximum of two other students while wearing a mask.

All Alert Levels: When socializing indoors, the only people with whom students may remove their masks are immediate roommates or apartmentmates. There are no other social group “bubbles” that enable students to remove their mask with other peers. Masks can be temporarily dropped/lifted when eating or drinking a beverage but should be put back in place as soon as possible.

 HAND HYGIENE AND RESPIRATORY ETIQUETTE

All community members, regardless of vaccination status, should follow good hand hygiene. This includes washing your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use a hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol to clean hands BEFORE and AFTER:

• Touching your eyes, nose or mouth
• Touching your mask
• Entering and leaving a public place
• Touching an item or surface that may be frequently touched by other people, such as door handles, tables, gas pumps, shopping carts or electronic cashier registers/screens  

All community members, regardless of vaccination status, should follow good respiratory etiquette. This includes covering coughs and sneezes and keeping hands clean. To help stop the spread of COVID-19 and other viruses:

• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze
• Throw used tissues in the trash
• If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your elbow, not your hands

 SYMPTOM SCREENING AND COVERIFIED

It is recommended that students perform daily health screenings using the CoVerified app or website. 

Students with signs or symptoms of COVID-19 infection must stay in their room/home and consult with Student Health Services.  

When completing the symptom screening, please take into consideration symptoms you experience regularly and likely are not related to a new infection (e.g. chronic headaches, allergies, etc.). Do not note symptoms in CoVerified if they do not appear to be related to a new infection.

CoVerified: Everyone on campus will need to access CoVerified either via the app on a smartphone or the website on a computer. To download this free app, go to the App Store or Google Play. You will use your Connecticut College username/password to login to the app. There is also a web-based version available. 

• You can review the app’s functionality by reading the User App Tutorial.
• Faculty, staff and students will use CoVerified to do the following:
• Complete daily symptom checks (Students—please bring a thermometer with you to campus)
• Schedule times for testing (when directed to schedule testing) 
• Receive notification of test results

The app will assign each individual one of three status labels: Remote, Clear or Restricted.

• Remote means that the person is not on campus and, therefore, is not expected to follow the daily symptom check and testing expectations. 
• A person will be restricted if they do not complete their daily symptom check and if they are in quarantine or isolation.

With weekly testing in place, students will not be uniformly expected to show the app status screen or website printout to demonstrate their campus status (Clear or Restricted). The symptom checking is a helpful reminder to monitor one’s health and seek the assistance of a health care professional if COVID-19 symptoms emerge.

 TESTING

Before arrival to campus in January

Students are expected to test within 24 hours of arriving on campus using an at-home COVID-19 antigen test. Students were given tests before leaving campus in the fall or tests can be purchased online or at local pharmacies (e.g. Abbott Binax Test, Quidel QuickView Test).  

If you test positive, your main point of contact is Dean Cardwell (scardwel@conncoll.edu). Please email her to notify her of the result, stay home to recover, and she will be in touch with you to provide specific instructions on your return to campus in 6 to 10 days.

If you experienced COVID-19 in the 90 days before your return, you do not need to test unless you are experiencing COVID-19 related symptoms in the days before your arrival to campus. If you do have symptoms, you will need to use the at-home antigen test to determine if you have COVID-19 again.

If you contracted COVID-19 in the time between leaving campus and returning, please email Dean Cardwell (scardwel@conncoll.edu) and provide her with the date you were positive. You will not need to PCR test during the 90 days after your positive diagnosis. If you are in the 90-day window of time but have COVID-19 symptoms, you should get tested with a rapid antigen test to determine whether you have COVID-19 again.

Onboarding test when you arrive

When you arrive on campus, go directly to the Testing Center in Cro 1941 Room where you will check in and complete a PCR test. 

If, upon arrival to campus, you are feeling any symptom(s) that may be COVID-19 related, while in the Testing Center, ask for an antigen test, test yourself, and report a positive test result by emailing testcenter@conncollege.edu. 

Regular testing protocol 

Students are required to test twice a week with a PCR test.

Students are expected to schedule a testing appointment for each day of testing using the CoVerified app. If an appointment is not made then the wait time for testing will be longer.  

The Test Center schedule is as follows: 

• Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays 8:30 a.m.-4:45 p.m. 
• Close contacts and quarantine testing hours 4:30-4:50 p.m. 
• Closed Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays

Symptomatic testing

Students who are feeling any symptom(s) that may be COVID-19 related, regardless of their testing day, should get tested using an antigen test. Antigen tests are available at the Testing Center Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. in the Alice Johnson Room in Cro (adjacent to the 1941 Room). 

Students should pick up a test kit, test themselves, and report a positive test result by emailing testcenter@conncollege.edu during business hours. If it is after hours on a weekday (outside of 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m.) or the weekend, please contact Campus Safety to report your positive test result. 

Students may also make an appointment with Student Health Services to see a medical professional and be tested for COVID-19. 

 ISOLATION AND PROTOCOLS FOR POSITIVE
COVID-19 CASES

Students must isolate for a minimum of six days (with two negative antigen tests) following the protocols described below. While the incidence of COVID-19 may increase with the advent of the Omicron variant, as a fully vaccinated and boosted campus, it is likely that students who contract COVID-19 will experience mild illness. These steps outlined here can minimize the disruption of students who need to isolate, help the College manage isolation given the likelihood of surges with a number of students positive at one time, and help minimize the spread of COVID-19.

Students who test positive will be provided an isolation packet that includes the following:

• KN95 masks 
• Rapid antigen tests
• Test administration instructions 
• Isolation duration instructions  

Isolation Location 

Students in singles (in traditional halls or apartments): Students who live in singles will isolate in place in their room and use the designated COVID-19 isolation bathroom in their building or the bathroom in their apartment. 

Students in doubles, triples, or quads: 

If students in multiple occupancy rooms are within a drivable distance to home and can isolate at home in a private room, then they should make plans with parents/guardians to isolate at home. Students must not use public transportation or ride shares to travel home to isolate.

If students in multiple occupancy rooms can not travel home to isolate, then the College will place them in isolation housing on campus or at an area hotel partnering with the College. If the original positive student’s roommate(s) become positive, then the original positive student will move back from designated isolation housing to their room to isolate in place with their roommate(s).

If case numbers begin to exceed isolation capacity on-campus and at the hotel, then the College will begin to prioritize designated isolation housing based on a number of factors, including the severity of symptoms. Asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic students who test positive will recover in place in their rooms and not move to separate isolation housing. 

Students living off-campus: Positive students who live off-campus will be expected to isolate at their off-campus residence. 

If case numbers begin to exceed isolation capacity on-campus and at the hotel, then the College will begin to prioritize designated isolation housing based on a number of factors, including the severity of symptoms. Asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic students who test positive may recover in place in their rooms and not move to separate isolation housing. 

Isolation Expectations 

Students may not have visitors to their room

Students must wear a KN95 mask whenever they leave their room. KN95 masks will be provided in an isolation packet that contains masks and antigen tests.  

Students may leave their room only to go to the bathroom, to go outside their residence hall by themselves (masked and 12 feet of distance from others), to pick their isolation packet at the Testing Center, or to pick up food at a designated meal pick-up location from Harris. Students may not enter any building other than their residence hall. 

When using a bathroom (in residence halls and apartments), students are expected to wipe down fixtures using disinfectant provided in the bathroom. 

Isolation Support

Student Health Services primary focus, especially during surges in cases, will be  supporting students who test positive and experience significant illness. If students are experiencing significant illness, they should inform Student Health Services. If students need assistance from Student Health Services please call or email while they are open (8:30 a.m.–5 p.m.) – (860) 439-2275, shs@conncoll.edu.

If students need assistance at any time, but in particular when Student health Services is closed, they should call Campus Safety – (860) 439-2222. Campus Safety can assist directly or connect students with Student Life Staff on-call. 

Students can reach a Student Support Specialist from 4 p.m.–2 a.m. seven days a week by emailing studentsupport@conncoll.edu or calling (860) 439-2412 and following the prompts.  

CC Curtiss, Director of Wellbeing and Health Promotion, will also offer virtual open hours for students in isolation.  

Isolation Duration

If a student does not have symptoms or symptoms are resolving and has been fever free for 24 hours without taking fever reducing medication, they may take an antigen test on Day 5 (Day 0 is the day the student tested positive). 

• If the Day 5 test is negative, then the student will retest on Day 6 and if negative then the student will be notified by the College that they can leave isolation. 
• If the Day 5 test is positive, then the student will retest on Day 7. 
• If the Day 7 test is negative, then the student will retest on Day 8 and if negative then the student will be notified by the College that they can leave isolation. 
• If the Day 7 test is positive, then the student will complete the full 10 day isolation period.  

Students must share their test results with the College by sending them to Marianne Ward via email at testcenter@conncoll.edu. Students may not leave isolation until instructed to do so by the College. 

Varsity athletes need to be cleared by Sports Health before returning to athletic activity. 

Detailed instructions about isolation duration will be provided in the isolation packet provided. 

 CONTACT TRACING

Depending on the number of positive cases in a given time period contact tracing may be done either via a phone interview or online using a Google form. 

Contact tracing will help identify close contacts who may need to be quarantined or follow other precautions depending on their vaccination status. A person is considered a close contact if they have been within six feet of a COVID-19 positive person for 15 minutes or more during what is considered the infectious period, which is 48 hours prior to positive diagnosis or onset of symptoms. If you are identified as a close contact, you will be contacted by the College. The College will notify close contacts without sharing the name of the positive person.  

Please note that you may think that you are a close contact of a positive person but the College may not contact you if the positive person does not identify you as a close contact or through the information collected you do not meet the parameters of a close contact. If you believe that you may be a close contact, then please follow basic precautions such as consistently wearing a mask, test regularly, and avoid settings with other people where masks can not be worn such as when eating and drinking.

 OFF-CAMPUS ENGAGEMENT WITHIN NEW LONDON COUNTY

Given that New London County is noted as a county with substantial or high transmission of COVID-19, travel within the county should be limited to essential needs (e.g. market, pharmacy, doctor) when needing to go into indoor locations. Students may travel within the area to go to outdoor areas (e.g. Harkness Park, beaches, etc.), employment, and for organized programs coordinated through the College. Students should avoid crowded outdoor spaces. We will continually evaluate these expectations as we monitor COVID-19 levels in Connecticut and New London County.

Very Important: The College is not permitting indoor activities off-campus where masks would not reasonably be worn (e.g. restaurants and bars). If you are going to eat off-campus, find a restaurant with seating outside and, if picking up take-out, wear a mask when entering the restaurant. Students are expected to not go to bars even if the bar contains an outdoor space due to crowded outdoor areas.

 TRAVEL BEYOND NEW LONDON COUNTY

Travel beyond New London County is discouraged. Students are expected to wear masks while traveling and taking proper precautions at their destination in order to minimize the likelihood of contracting COVID-19.

 VISITORS

Alert Level 1 - Green: Students may have any visitor come to campus with proof of one of the following (note: no overnight guests):

• Vaccination (including booster)
• A negative PCR within 72 hours of arrival on campus or an antigen test within 24 hours of arrival on campus, 
• Recent COVID-19 infection within the past 90 days.

Alert Level 2 - Yellow: Students may have family members visit campus who have proof of one of the above.

Alert Level 3 - Orange: No visitors permitted on campus.

 CONSEQUENCES FOR NOT FOLLOWING CAMPUS COVID-19 EXPECTATIONS

The College takes seriously its responsibility to our own campus community and to the wider region and state. We anticipate that all students will do their part to keep our campus safe and help protect the health and wellbeing of their peers, the faculty and staff of the College, and the broader New London community. If students do not comply with the health and safety requirements, as well as any other COVID-related policies the College puts into place, they will be referred to the student conduct process.

 MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES

Campus life with COVID-19 can be challenging, but faculty and staff are here to support you in whatever way they can. In particular, Student Counseling Services is an important resource.

Student Counseling Services staff are available to students by calling (860) 439-4587. In addition to our counselors, there are two other important resources available to students: My SSP and Counseling After-Hours. 

My SSP: All students needing assistance during or after-hours may reach an off-site licensed professional clinician who has partnered with us to provide urgent or on-going care through My SSP:

• Download the free My SSP App, available on the App Store or Google Play.
• Through the app, you can call or chat with a Student Support Counselor 24/7 in real-time or schedule a telephone or video session that fits your schedule. My SSP provides support in the event of a personal crisis and also connects students with providers, offering both short and long-term counseling.
• You can browse a digital library of helpful articles and videos.
• Or, you can call them directly at (866) 743-7732 (If calling from outside North America, dial 001-416-380-6578).

Counseling After-Hours: All students needing assistance after-hours may also reach an off-site licensed professional clinician who has partnered with us through Counseling After-Hours:

• You can reach the service by calling (860) 439-4587 and pressing option 2.
• This is a telephone-based mental health service that is available to all students in need of access to mental health support when Student Counseling Services is not open.
• This service provides students with access to an off-site counselor who will provide support at any time during the evening, weekend or break.

Coping with Covid-19 Resources can be found here. A complete list of resources can be found at Student Counseling Services.