COVID-19 Messages to Employees (2021)

by staff | December 31, 2021

An archive of messages sent to William & Mary employees about the university's plans and policies responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. View the 2020 message archive.

Announcing COVID-19 Booster Requirement and Updated Q&I Guidelines

December 31, 2021

Editor’s Note: Phased planning has amended some information in this message. In early 2022, the Virginia governor and attorney general announced changes in public policy guidance regarding vaccine requirements for state employees and higher education students. Full vaccination remains in the best interests of the health of the W&M community. In alignment with the Commonwealth, William & Mary moved to encouraging strongly all students, faculty and staff to obtain COVID-19 vaccinations and to stay up-to-date on appropriate boosters.

Dear W&M Community,

The Public Health Advisory Team has been actively monitoring the rapid increase in COVID-19 cases in Virginia and nationally as well as the science around the efficacy of COVID-19 boosters. On Monday, December 27, the CDC updated its guidance on quarantine and isolation, which is also tied to vaccination status. Given the significant changes, William & Mary is updating the university’s vaccine policy, to require boosters, as well as W&M’s quarantine and isolation protocols. I am communicating with you today in order to give you as much time as possible to prepare for returning for the spring semester and for work. Details follow below:

COVID-19 Boosters Required

All eligible students and employees will be required to show proof of the COVID-19 booster vaccination on or before January 18, 2022. [Ed. note: In alignment with the Commonwealth, W&M moved to encouraging strongly vaccination for all students, faculty and staff in February 2022.] The CDC currently defines eligibility as six months past the Pfizer or Moderna series or two months past the J&J series.

Currently eligible for a booster: If you are currently eligible to receive a booster, you must upload your vaccination cards to include a booster shot in the Kallaco portal no later than Tuesday, January 18.
- Students who are not in compliance face being disenrolled for the spring semester.
- Employees who are not in compliance will be placed on 30 days leave without pay followed by termination if they remain out of compliance.
Not yet eligible for a booster: If you are not yet eligible, you will be required to obtain and record a booster within one month of your eligibility date, based on your vaccination dates recorded in Kallaco. Please note that if the CDC reduces the timeline for eligibility, you will be required to receive and record a booster dose within one month of your eligibility date.
Approved deferral, disability or religious exemption: If you already have an approved deferral for the spring semester or a disability or religious exemption on file, you are exempt from the booster requirement, but you will be required to comply with W&M’s testing protocols.
International students: We recognize that international students may not have access to vaccines and/or boosters in their home countries. International students should contact International Students, Scholars & Programs or email HealthyTogether@wm.edu if they have questions or need to seek a deferral.

Changes in Quarantine and Isolation

W&M has updated its quarantine and isolation requirements to be consistent with the CDC’s latest guidance. If at any time you become symptomatic, you should test immediately. During the spring semester, students who are symptomatic can be tested for COVID-19 at the Student Health Center. Employees should consult with their medical providers or local pharmacies.

Quarantine for Close Contacts

The guidelines for those who have been in close contact with a known positive vary based on vaccination status.

If you have received a booster or if you’re vaccinated but not yet eligible for a booster: If you have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, you must use ReportCOVID.wm.edu and will be assigned a case manager. If you are asymptomatic, you do not need to quarantine, but you will be tested on Day 5 after exposure.
Unvaccinated with an approved exemption: If you are unvaccinated, you must use ReportCOVID.wm.edu and will be assigned a case manager. You are required to quarantine for five days regardless of your symptoms or lack thereof. You will be required to test on Day 5 after exposure.

Isolation for Known Positives

This applies to all students, faculty and staff, regardless of vaccination status.

All Students and Employees: If you have tested positive for COVID-19, you are required to isolate for five days from the date your test was administered. If you are asymptomatic on Day 6, you can return to school or work, but must remain masked indoors at all times through Day 10 and should refrain from eating or drinking indoors with others.

As we approach 2022, I know this is not how any of us wanted to start the new year. With that said, COVID-19 remains a part of our lives. As we shift from a pandemic to an endemic state, we will need to retool in a way that allows us to live with the reality of the virus. As we look to Spring 2022, we are in a much different position than we were in Spring 2020. Vaccines, boosters, and new viral treatments provide us with tools that were not at our disposal two years ago. In addition, vigilance with masks continues to remain an important part of our response. W&M continues to require masks indoors for all members of the community and visitors, regardless of vaccination status.

As we have done throughout, we will continue to communicate with the W&M community through routine messages with updated information as it becomes available. Please also look to W&M’s COVID-19 page and Path Forward for the most current information.

Wishing you all a happy and healthy New Year,

Amy Sebring
Chief Operating Officer and COVID-19 Director

COVID-19 Tips for Holiday Break

December 16, 2021

Dear W&M Community,

First, I wish you a safe and happy holiday season. We’re nearing the end of another successful semester under pandemic conditions. And, as much as we all are ready to be done with COVID-19, operational changes announced this week by Cornell and Princeton in response to the coronavirus have raised questions for many as to what they can expect in the days and weeks ahead at William & Mary. At this moment, the Public Health Advisory Team does not advise amending W&M’s plans; we are very close to the end of the semester and for now, our COVID-19 numbers remain relatively low, with five student cases and five employee cases.

If the past two years have taught us anything, however, it is that COVID-19 can derail even the rosiest scenarios, and quickly. This appears to be especially true of the omicron variant, which threatens the most rapid spread yet. Our epidemiologists have blogged about it for a few weeks now; visit the Epi Update blog to learn more.

As we’re seeing across higher education, this rapidity has particular significance in close communities with shared residential populations. Even as we soon largely vacate campus, W&M’s physicians and epidemiologists have some recommendations.

The Importance of Boosters

Every day, we understand more how critical boosting our original vaccinations has become. Recently, Dr. Anthony Fauci noted that it is a matter of “when, not if” a booster will be required for the CDC definition of a “fully vaccinated” individual. Further, W&M epidemiologist Carrie Dolan noted this week that preliminary data show that current vaccines are less effective in preventing symptomatic infections from omicron, but a third dose can increase effectiveness to 70-75%. She considers boosting our original COVID-19 shots as one of the most important actions we can take right now to protect ourselves and others and to continue to learn in person.

If you are at least six months past your last COVID-19 vaccination dose (and our data suggest almost all of us are), please prioritize obtaining a booster before the spring semester begins. They are widely available at almost every pharmacy. You should record your dose in the Kallaco portal. Doing so will better help the COVID-19 Response and Public Health Advisory teams plan for the spring and subsequent semesters.

Don’t Slip on Masks and Preventative Measures

With low case numbers, it’s easy to be lulled into a false sense of security, and we are hearing anecdotal reports of indoor mask compliance slipping on campus. Please do not falter in these final days; COVID-19 is very much still with us.

Additionally, as we celebrate the close of the semester with gatherings in our units and departments, we encourage W&M community members to follow the event guidelines that can be found on the Path Forward website:

Ask attendees to monitor symptoms in the days prior to the event. Of course, if they or you are feeling sick, skip the event.
Masks are still required unless actively eating or drinking in indoor shared spaces here at William & Mary, regardless of vaccination status.
Carefully consider the venue (indoors vs. outdoors) and whether food or drink is critical. One good approach is to prepare “take-away” bags in place of making food available during an event.

Returning to William & Mary

The Healthy Together Logistics Team is working now to implement the pre-arrival COVID-19 testing cadence for students, who should watch for emails from that group regarding the timing of the self-administered tests. Relatedly, if you do test positive for COVID-19 over the break, even if you are not in the area, please continue to visit ReportCOVID.wm.edu, as your diagnosis and 10-day isolation period may affect both your testing timing (if a student) as well as your return date to campus.

Finally, thank you for your continued commitment to William & Mary’s health and safety. Your thoughtful care not only helps protect you, but your fellow students, instructors and colleagues. We are nearing the end of another successful semester, and that is entirely attributable to your diligence. Have a wonderful holiday season.

Sincerely,

Amy Sebring
Chief Operating Officer and COVID-19 Director

COVID-19 Updates & Spring Pre-Arrival Testing

November 30, 2021

Dear W&M Community,

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and a few days to rest up for the final weeks of the semester. As we settle back into our learning and working, I want to share the following updates:

Omicron Variant and Indoor Mask Compliance

By now, you have likely heard that the World Health Organization has identified the omicron variant as a “variant of concern,” but many questions remain. The Public Health Advisory Team is monitoring developments related to the emergence of the omicron variant. Carrie Dolan shares her thoughts and advice in the latest W&M Epi Update. Until we know more, the advice remains the same: Get vaccinated if you haven’t, get a booster at the appropriate time and wear a mask indoors around others. Yesterday, the CDC updated its guidance, announcing that all adults over 18 should get a booster dose. W&M will provide regular updates as information becomes available on the new variant.

With more people spending time together indoors, along with the possibility of a more transmissible variant, W&M continues to require students, faculty, staff and visitors to wear masks when in shared indoor spaces unless they are actively eating or drinking.

Spring Semester Pre-Arrival Testing for Students

The Public Health Advisory Team has also developed the following pre-arrival COVID-19 testing plan for returning to campus for the Spring 2022 semester:

All students living in campus housing, who plan to attend in-person instruction or use university facilities, will be required to have a negative COVID-19 test before returning to campus. Students within a 30-mile radius of campus will also need to test negative.
W&M will provide each student a free COVID-19 PCR saliva test, mailed in advance of returning. It’s important to note that the COVID-19 testing group will contact students by email to coordinate test registration and shipments based on students’ anticipated arrival dates.
These are the tests required for move-in and in-person instruction; W&M does not plan to accept outside test results due to the variability and efficacy of COVID-19 tests nationally and difficulties in streamlining testing results and reporting requirements from multiple sources.
You will be notified by the William & Mary testing program when it is time to confirm the shipping address where you’d like to receive your test kit. Tests will be sent based on a schedule of your anticipated return date. For example, some graduate programs begin before the undergraduate schedule. Completing the address confirmation and questionnaire is necessary, but your test may not ship immediately.
Please note that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention requires COVID-19 laboratories to provide certain medical information on individuals taking tests. Neither Kallaco nor William & Mary access or retain this data.
International students will be notified by email about specific testing requirements.
If you have tested positive for COVID-19 within the 90 days prior to your return, please fill out the form at ReportCOVID.wm.edu to alert the university and upload your test result to Kallaco.

Health and Wellness

The university has resources to assist you with your general health and wellness:

Our Health & Wellness Centers are open during normal business hours.
For students, if you are not feeling well, please do not hesitate to contact the Student Health Center. For employees, please make use of your employee health benefits to contact an urgent care center or your physician.

In these final weeks of the semester, it remains important that we continue to uphold high standards for health and safety, as you have done such a fantastic job so far. Thank you for your commitment.

Sincerely,

Amy Sebring
Chief Operating Officer and COVID-19 Director

Reminders for Thanksgiving Break

November 18, 2021

Dear W&M Community,

I hope each of you is preparing for a well-earned break over the Thanksgiving holiday. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it is a time to reflect on all for which I am grateful and to gather with friends and family, share a meal, and at least in my case, watch football! I also recognize that the holiday season can be challenging and lonely for those who have suffered recent losses or are facing current struggles in their daily lives. Please check in on your peers and colleagues and if you need help managing through the holidays, please ask for it.

In advance of the holiday, I write to remind you that COVID-19 remains part of the health landscape. After several weeks of declining cases and hospitalizations, we are once again starting to see cases rise in many communities across the U.S. and Europe. The CDC continues to recommend the following when it comes to holiday celebrations:

Mask when traveling, regardless of vaccination status
Avoid crowded, poorly ventilated spaces
If you feel sick or have symptoms, resist the urge to attend a gathering
Get tested if you have symptoms of COVID-19 or are a close contact for someone who tests positive

In particular, if you are traveling for the holiday, please review the CDC’s travel guidance. The weeks following Thanksgiving are among our busiest of the fall semester. We want to make sure that campus reconvenes after the holiday in good health and ready to finish the semester strong.

Please note that the week of November 22-26 includes Appreciation Days for William & Mary employees. In light of the added challenges faced during this pandemic, President Rowe chose the week of Thanksgiving to offer Appreciation Days so that employees can maximize their ability to rest. Although classes will be in session Monday and Tuesday, administrative offices will be closed the entire week. Please plan ahead if you need to reach W&M colleagues and offices.

As one example, the Student Health Center has shared its After-Hours Resources, as the center will be closed next week. Students who need to pick up medications should do so before the end of the day tomorrow, November 19.

Finally, I would be remiss if I did not express my utmost gratitude for you. The people of William & Mary remain the heart of the university. I sincerely hope that you are able to take time away in the coming week to relax, unwind and prepare for the end of the semester, which will be here soon.

With appreciation,

Amy Sebring
Chief Operating Officer and COVID-19 Director

COVID-19 Testing & Booster Updates

November 3, 2021

Dear William & Mary Community,

This week, there are two updates for our community regarding COVID-19.

COVID-19 Testing

The CDC has updated its guidance related to COVID-19 testing. Now, both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals who have a close contact with someone with COVID-19 should be tested 5–7 days after their last exposure. People identified as close contacts, who are not yet fully vaccinated, should test twice: first upon learning they have become a close contact of a positive person and again 5-7 days after their exposure.

As a reminder, close contacts who have been vaccinated do not need to quarantine, but should take extra precautions while awaiting their test results. It is important that anyone who has been a close contact test at the right time to avoid receiving a false test result.

In addition, if you test positive for COVID-19 or are identified as a close contact (regardless of vaccination status), please remember to share that information via ReportCOVID.wm.edu. Completing this brief form puts you in touch with a case manager to help navigate work or study and initiates contact tracing. This applies to all students, faculty and staff members. If you are uncertain whether you are a close contact, you can report and a case manager will help you evaluate whether you meet the criteria for being considered a close contact.

Virginia Department of Health: Boosters

The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) has indicated that employees at higher education institutions are eligible to receive a booster COVID-19 vaccine. It is not required to receive a booster vaccine at this time to be able to work at William & Mary. However, given that boosters are widely available, if you do wish to receive a booster vaccine and are within the appropriate time frame to do so, please visit your preferred pharmacy and let them know that you work at William & Mary. Similarly, students are also eligible for booster shots if they live in congregate settings.

Thank you all for your continued efforts in keeping our community safe. Right now, W&M’s active COVID-19 positive case count is one each for students and employees. These low numbers are a direct result of your care and commitment.

Sincerely,

Amy Sebring
Chief Operating Officer and COVID-19 Director

Looking Ahead to Spring Vaccinations

October 19, 2021

Dear William & Mary Community,

I write today to provide a short update. Fortunately, active COVID-19 cases in the community remain low. We are in a period of transition, both in terms of the weather and as we look to welcome new colleagues for the start of the spring semester. With the weather turning colder, we know many activities will be moving indoors. Please remember to wear your mask, wash your hands and maintain physical distance when you are able.

As we think about the spring semester, it is important to update the community on our current vaccination status and to update requirements for students, faculty and staff.

Vaccination Update: Given the scientific evidence to date, W&M concluded this fall that full vaccination is in the best interests of the health of our community. The university began requiring COVID-19 vaccination for all students, faculty and staff, unless an express disability or religious exemption applies. [Ed. note: In alignment with the Commonwealth, W&M moved to encouraging strongly vaccination for all students, faculty and staff in February 2022.] For Fall 2021, all students, faculty and staff were required to record final vaccination doses in September. There are not yet plans for widespread vaccination boosters. William & Mary observes appropriate disability and religious exemptions and deferrals. To file for an exemption, visit Exemptions and Deferrals for instructions.

For Spring 2022, the deadline for recording both vaccination doses in the Kallaco portal or securing an approved exemption is Monday, December 20.

Continuing students, faculty and staff: Those who already uploaded proof of full vaccination do not need to take any action.
- Those who had an approved religious exemption do not need to take any action.
- Those who had a disability deferral or a temporary exemption (e.g., remote learning or accommodation) must secure a spring exemption by December 20.
Newly-admitted or readmitted students: Upload vaccination records in the Kallaco portal as soon as possible after deposit or securing readmission.
- Spring students who are admitted or readmitted after December 20 have until Tuesday, January 4, to upload proof of full vaccination to Kallaco or to secure an exemption.
Faculty and staff who are newly-hired or returning from leave: Upload vaccination records in the Kallaco portal by December 20 or within one week of employment activation for Spring 2022.

Finally, if COVID-19 cases remain low, I will shift to periodic updates rather than a weekly message cadence. The COVID-19 Response and Public Health Advisory teams continue to meet weekly and to engage issues as often as needed to ensure the university is addressing conditions quickly. Please continue to consult W&M Path Forward for up-to-date information.

Sincerely,

Amy Sebring
Chief Operating Officer and COVID-19 Director

Wellness at William & Mary

October 12, 2021

Dear William & Mary Community,

I hope you had the chance to enjoy this past weekend’s Homecoming & Reunion festivities (safely, of course). William & Mary’s COVID-19 Dashboard continues to show low numbers, with the student count at seven and the employee count at one.

With that good news in mind, we offer several reminders:

Flu Shots: COVID-19 has certainly taken up a lot of mental space over the past 18-plus months, and while we continue to be vigilant, we should also be aware of other seasonal health concerns. We know flu season is quickly approaching. I encourage members of our community to receive a flu shot and to remain vigilant with handwashing, mask-wearing, etc. The Student Health Center is offering flu shots every Monday (but not Oct. 18 because of break) for all undergraduate, graduate and professional students. More information is provided on the flu clinic website. For faculty and staff, if you missed last week’s flu shot clinics on campus, I encourage you to seek out a flu shot at one of the local pharmacies in the area.

Student Health and Wellness: Beyond flu shots and COVID-19, W&M’s Student Health Center is available to help students whenever they aren’t feeling well. As the weather starts to turn colder, students are more likely to get sick with respiratory or other infections. The university also has resources – including virtual options – to help students safeguard their mental health. Mid-terms can create stress for students, particularly first-year students who are adjusting to the rigors of a new program and a new institution. Please take care of yourselves.

Employee Health and Wellness: Similarly, as a reminder for our faculty and staff, the Employee Assistance Program provides up to four free sessions to address mental health issues, alcohol or drug counseling, financial counseling, retirement planning and other services that may be useful in helping you cope with challenges outside of work.

In closing, I send a heartfelt thank you to everyone who helped to make Homecoming & Reunion weekend a success and all who shared in celebrating our in-person Commencement for Class of 2020. There’s so much unheralded work that goes on behind the scenes to organize and staff these events, and I am beyond appreciative of the extra time dedicated to making this weekend so special. It was so gratifying to see the Class of 2020 graduate after a historic year.

Sincerely,

Amy Sebring
Chief Operating Officer and COVID-19 Director

COVID-19 Protocol Reminders and Updates

October 5, 2021

Dear William & Mary Community,

Our COVID-19 Dashboard continues to show low numbers of active positive cases, with the current number of active student cases at six. We have no employee positives at this time. Thank you all for your continued work to achieve these low numbers, a direct result of your selflessness.

With that, here are the updates and reminders for this week:

Indoor Masking

This week, there have been reports of community members not complying with William & Mary’s indoor masking policy. This is a reminder that we have extended the indoor masking policy through the end of the semester. Properly worn masks are required in shared spaces, including in residence halls, unless you are actively eating and drinking. Masks do not need to be worn in dorm rooms or in private offices. Neither do they need to be worn outdoors, but if you’re in a crowd, please feel encouraged to wear one.

Last week, I mentioned that our region and state continue to see high rates of transmission, especially with the delta variant. As a community, we have a responsibility to protect the health of others. Although few of us would prefer to wear a mask, the positive public health impact far outweighs the minor inconvenience. We appreciate the ongoing efforts, and ask that our community holds high standards for one another on this matter.

ReportCOVID.wm.edu

If you test positive for COVID-19 or are identified as a close contact (regardless of vaccination status), please share that information via ReportCOVID.wm.edu. Completing this brief form puts you in touch with a case manager to help navigate work or study and initiates contact tracing. This applies to all students, faculty and staff members.

Staff Assembly Meeting Oct. 13

I’m honored to be invited to a Q&A session with Staff Assembly on Wednesday, Oct. 13. I expect I’ll be switching hats multiple times during the meeting, fielding questions both as the chief operating officer and as COVID-19 director, but I always welcome the opportunity to connect with students, faculty and, this time, with staff. If you are a staff member and have questions you’d like to ask, please visit the questionnaire no later than Thursday, Oct. 7. I look forward to seeing you there.

Finally, as we all get ready for Homecoming & Reunion Weekend on October 7-10, please remember to respect COVID-19 protocols and one another’s comfort levels. This is certainly an occasion to enjoy, but we must do so in safe ways. If you are planning weekend events, guidelines for organizers and visitors at Path Forward might be useful to you in providing language and reminders to attendees.

Thank you,

Amy Sebring
Chief Operating Officer and COVID-19 Director

COVID-19 Protocol Updates: Indoor Masking Extended

September 28, 2021

Dear William & Mary Community,

We continue to see our active COVID-19 case count among students, faculty and staff hold at low levels, with 14 current student cases and one employee case. In addition, we have officially reached a milestone with our vaccination status, and I am happy to report that 98% of our student population and 95% of our employees are fully vaccinated.

With all of this in mind, it is imperative that we continue to follow our COVID-19 related protocols and keep communal health at the top of our priority list. My updates related to our protocols for this week are short and simple:

Indoor Masking Extended Through End of Semester

Following discussions with the Public Health Advisory Team, William & Mary has extended the indoor masking policy to the end of the fall semester. The entire region and state remain at the highest levels of transmissibility yet, with some of the national models predicting cases will spike in late October or early November as we enter into the late fall and winter. Over the next couple of months, William & Mary will assess the extent to which evolving conditions will allow us to modify the masking policy for the spring 2022 semester. Thank you for your flexibility this year as we navigate the best options for our entire community.

Please continue to consult our COVID-19 resource pages for any future updates and changes to our policies, as well as keeping an eye out for these updates.

Thank you,

Amy Sebring
Chief Operating Officer and COVID-19 Director

COVID-19 Protocol Updates: Masking and Dining

September 21, 2021

Dear William & Mary Community,

This week, W&M has cause for cautious optimism regarding the number of active COVID-19 cases. Over the last week, we have seen a sharp decrease in active student cases, while active employee cases continue to be in the single digits. Once again, our community has come together successfully to focus not only on our individual health, but the health of the community. I sincerely thank you for your efforts in doing so.

Given the improvements we’ve seen over the last two weeks, I write with updates for the week ahead.

Updated COVID-19 Protocols

Effective today, W&M will move to “masks optional” outdoors. This guidance also applies to events such as Family Weekend, Homecoming & Reunion Weekend, etc. Please note that W&M requires all guests coming to our campus to acknowledge in advance that they are aware of our policies.

W&M continues to require indoor masking, except when actively eating or drinking; this is not optional.
As of Thursday, Sept. 23, dining will resume normal operations at all dining locations across campus. Gathering together to share a meal is an important part of life here at W&M, and I am glad we can re-open our dining halls.
- A few words of caution: Eating and drinking together are known modes by which COVID-19 transmission occurs. To better protect yourself, try to consistently eat with the same small group of friends or with those with whom you are already in close contact, given your living arrangements. Only remove your mask indoors when you are actively eating or drinking. If you are socializing before and after, masks should remain on. And if the weather permits, eat outside; the likelihood of transmission outdoors is lower.

As we settle into the semester, I want to underscore that we have a shared responsibility to make smart decisions that protect our health and the health of those around us. I am encouraged by the rapid response of the W&M community over the past two weeks, and yet I also recognize that we will likely see periods of higher case rates throughout this academic year. We will continue to assess the public health conditions and modify operations as needed to respond. I anticipate providing routine updates to the campus each Tuesday unless conditions necessitate a more immediate response.

COVID-19 Vaccination Status Deadline was September 17

We are still working to finalize the overall level of vaccination for students, faculty and staff living, learning and working on campus. However, it looks like student vaccination levels will reach 98% by the end of the month and employee levels will be roughly 95%. [Ed. note: In alignment with the Commonwealth, W&M moved to encouraging strongly vaccination for all students, faculty and staff in February 2022.]

Faculty Guide to COVID-19 Published

Though cases are dropping, this September is not what any of us envisioned at William & Mary. In the past two weeks, we’ve received a number of questions from faculty regarding how the university is responding to increased student cases, what care is provided to students and recommendations for classroom management. Please visit the Faculty & Staff page on Path Forward for a new faculty guide offering that information and more, including an FAQ section.

W&M Epi Update: COVID-19 in the Classroom

The Public Health Advisory Team’s two epidemiologists, Drs. Iyabo Obasanjo and Carrie Dolan, publish a weekly blog, informally known as the “Epi Update,” that offers a look at their fascinating work on behalf of William & Mary. They kicked off this semester’s blogging yesterday with a discussion of how and what they look for when they’re seeking evidence of classroom spread, “Disease Detectives in the Classroom.” The post considers two important topics: possible spread of COVID-19 in teaching spaces and prevalence testing. I hope you’ll take a moment to visit the blog and check it periodically.

As we’ve all seen, this year requires a great deal of flexibility. We have been successful in adapting so far, and I am appreciative of everyone’s efforts in remaining so.

Sincerely,

Amy Sebring
Chief Operating Officer and COVID-19 Director

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COVID-19 Protocols Remain In Effect

September 14, 2021

Dear William & Mary Community,

We continue to monitor the number of active COVID-19 cases and update the dashboard accordingly. Although the numbers remain low relative to the size of our overall student population and to date the cases have been generally mild, the pace with which we continue to see cases rise is concerning. We will continue the below action steps for the next week:

Masks outdoors are required for all students, faculty, staff and visitors on campus unless you are eating, drinking or can maintain an appropriate physical distance of at least six feet. Masks are still not required for individuals in their dorm rooms or in their personal, single-occupancy offices.
All W&M dining is “to go” through September 22. Dining at Sadler Dining Hall, Commons and Marketplace is solely a to-go program. Meal swipes can also be used in Sadler Express, Tribe Food Truck, Tribe Market and Student Xchange for a to-go meal. Retail dining locations are also offering to-go dining during this time period.
Student organizations are encouraged to use virtual formats or outdoor settings for meetings and activities.

At their core, these changes are intended to encourage socialization, eating and drinking outdoors to the extent possible and mask wearing to slow the spread of transmission of COVID-19 in the W&M community.

For the latest information, guidance and more, please see these resources:

The Path Forward webpage. Offers general information about our COVID-19 processes and protocols and offers directions for students who begin to develop symptoms or concerns that they are a close contact. We have also recently added additional case management and isolation resource pages for students isolating at home or at a partner hotel. They outline the process students can expect, case management services, financial resources, meal information and more.
These pages also provide useful information for faculty and staff. We are continuing to add additional information for all our constituents, recognizing that we are one community and it is important to stay apprised of the considerations for other members of our W&M community.
W&M COVID-19 Dashboard. Is updated Monday through Friday, except on holidays, and offers data on COVID-19 in the W&M community.
The Healthy Together module in the W&M Mobile App. Offers useful tools to report COVID-19, implement emergency plans, view test results, download the Commonwealth’s exposure notification app and more.
COVID-19 Response Team Messages. Additional and historical information on W&M’s response to the pandemic and previous communications.

Maintaining Learning

The current level of cases is requiring many students to continue learning while in isolation. Provost Peggy Agouris has asked faculty to help those students remain current in their courses by recording their lectures with the technology available in the classrooms and uploading them to their course platforms. This helps students access course content while they continue to isolate throughout September.

The ability to record lectures in real time should also help relieve the burden of faculty, who are providing crucial in-person instruction while also working tirelessly to ensure that students in isolation have access to course materials and are keeping pace with their learning goals. At the end of the month, we can reassess whether it is helpful in the classroom to continue to record in-person lectures.

Thank you all for your continued flexibility. This year’s trajectory relies on our ability to unite as a community, as we have done, to ensure we are following public health guidance. We continue to make changes as necessary and appreciate your adaptability and commitment.

Sincerely,

Amy Sebring
Chief Operating Officer and COVID-19 Director

New Temporary COVID-19 Protocols Effective Immediately

September 7, 2021

Dear William & Mary Community,

Over the last several days, we’ve seen a significant increase in the number of active positive student cases. We will be updating our dashboard later today to reflect that we now have over 100 active student positive cases. Many of those cases are among vaccinated students; fortunately all of those cases are experiencing no or mild symptoms. Fewer than 10 students are isolating in local hotels. All cases appear to have been spread through unmasked social interactions – often off-campus. To date, there is no indication of spread in a classroom. Employee cases have remained static at three active cases for the last week.

Although the numbers remain low relative to the size of our overall student population and to date the cases have been mild, the pace with which we’re seeing cases rise is concerning. As a result, we will be taking action this week with the goal of slowing the spread over the next two weeks.

Effective immediately, W&M will implement the following changes:

Masks outdoors will be required for all students, faculty, staff and visitors on campus unless you are eating, drinking, or can maintain appropriate physical distancing of at least six feet. Masks are still not required in dorm rooms nor single-occupancy offices.
All W&M dining will be “to go” dining for two weeks. Starting with breakfast tomorrow, dining at Sadler Dining Hall, Commons and Marketplace will be solely a to-go program, closing all indoor seating for two weeks beginning September 8, 2021. Meal Swipes can also be used in Sadler Express, Tribe Food Truck, Tribe Market and Student Xchange for a to-go meal. Retail dining locations will also offer to-go dining for two weeks.
Student organizations will be encouraged to use virtual formats or outdoor settings for meetings and activities. Sorority recruitment has already been moved to an online format this week.

These changes will go into effect for two weeks while we monitor case levels.

We remain in person. W&M remains committed to providing students with in-person classes this year. We have no plans of shifting to remote or online learning. We do recognize that we will need to be flexible to ensure that students who are currently in isolation or who may need to isolate in the coming weeks are able to keep pace with their coursework and our deans are working with the faculty to ensure that those transitions can occur.

Where to find information. I want to highlight important sources of information. I have also featured some key items below my signature for your awareness.

The Path Forward webpage. Offers general information about our COVID-19 processes and protocols and offers directions for students who begin to develop symptoms or concern that they are a close contact.
Our COVID-19 Dashboard. Is updated Monday through Friday, except on holidays, and offers data on COVID-19 in the W&M community, consistent with obligations under the Clery Act.
The Healthy Together module in the W&M Mobile App. Offers useful tools to report COVID-19, implement emergency plans, view test results and more.
COVID-19 Response Team Messages. Additional and historical information on W&M’s response to the pandemic and previous communications.

In closing, this is the third semester in which William & Mary has offered in-person activities since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and we’ve seen a spike in cases at the beginning of each semester. Swift action has resulted in those case numbers coming down, even as conditions continually shift. We remain confident that we have the tools to navigate this effectively. Vaccination rates on campus are high and the vaccines are working in reducing the level of severity of cases. Masks remain an important line of defense, particularly with the delta variant. Ventilation and the use of outdoor spaces are an effective third strategy and we are at a point in the year where the weather often provides great opportunities to get outdoors.

Most importantly, the W&M community remains committed to our core mission and to staying Healthy Together.

Sincerely,

Amy Sebring
Chief Operating Officer and COVID-19 Director

Key Things to Know: Current COVID-19 Protocols

Reporting Requirements: If you have tested positive for COVID-19 or believe you have been in close contact, you must report that information to ReportCOVID.wm.edu. This applies to all students, faculty and staff members.

Case Management: A case manager is assigned to all W&M students, faculty and staff who have tested positive or have been identified as a close contact.

Individuals who have tested positive may also identify others in the W&M community with whom they have been in close contact. Case managers will be assigned to those individuals as well.
W&M’s contact tracing efforts are focused on identifying those who have been in close contact in social settings where masks cannot be maintained (e.g., eating or drinking).
We continue to see no evidence of spread in classrooms, even at normal capacity levels.

Testing: A case manager will work with close contacts to ensure that they test at the appropriate time, based on CDC guidelines. Testing too early can lead to false results.

Symptomatic students should contact the Student Health Center for testing.
Symptomatic faculty and staff should contact their personal medical provider.
Asymptomatic students, faculty and staff who are identified as close contacts through our case management will be contacted about testing at the appropriate time per CDC guidelines.

Quarantine and Isolation:

Anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19 must isolate for 10 days from the onset of symptoms or from the day the test was administered, regardless of vaccination status. If you have no symptoms, you must still isolate for 10 days if you have tested positive. A negative test is not required for re-entry after 10 days, as long as the individual is no longer symptomatic. The case manager will determine when your isolation ends.
Vaccinated individuals who have been in close contact with a known positive are not required to quarantine if they are asymptomatic. They will be required to test 3-5 days after exposure as instructed by the case manager.
Unvaccinated individuals who have been in close contact are required to quarantine for at least 10 days and to test between 5-7 days as instructed by their case manager.

Supporting Students With COVID-19: For students, I want to provide updated information on isolation accommodations for those who test positive for COVID-19.

Students who test positive for COVID-19 or who are notified that they are close contacts need to visit ReportCOVID.wm.edu to be linked up with a case manager to help navigate a positive diagnosis, quarantine and isolation. Close contacts who are vaccinated do not need to quarantine, per CDC guidance.
Students are responsible for having a plan to isolate off campus should they test positive this academic year; this was announced in July. Our experience last year was that most students do best if they are able to isolate at home; most choose to do so.
We recognize, however, that on-campus students may need a day or two of transition as they temporarily move from university housing to an off-campus location for isolation. To bridge that transition, W&M is covering the cost of a designated hotel for up to two nights for students who test positive.
We also recognize that some students may need to isolate in an area hotel for the full 10 days of their isolation following a positive diagnosis. W&M can assist those students in extending their stay, with assistance available for students demonstrating need. Case managers provide information on area hotels that have partnered with W&M to provide discounted rates to any student who is 18 years or older.
William & Mary Police are available to transport students from campus to the hotel if they do not have a personal car.
The provost and the dean of the faculty of arts & sciences work directly with faculty who will accommodate student absences and facilitate access to course materials while students are away in isolation or quarantine. This may include capturing lectures, encouraging group work via Zoom or Google Docs in order to minimize disruption of assignments, providing access to current class materials, and more.
William & Mary is also finalizing plans that will allow students with a W&M meal plan to receive delivered meals to one of our partner hotels should they desire.

Updates and Highlights from the COO

August 31, 2021

Dear William & Mary Community,

It has been a joy to have students back on campus, with all of the energy and excitement they bring. I look forward to having more of our community join us this week as classes get underway. Of course, this coming together is possible because of our commitment to one another’s safety and the immense amount of flexibility we have adopted in the last 18 months. In order to keep our community updated as we work together to achieve another successful year, I will resume my weekly community updates for the foreseeable future. So, without further ado…

COVID-19 Information

I am glad to report that we are starting this academic year with 93% of our students and 90% of employees learning and working on campus are fully vaccinated. For those who have not yet reached that status, this is a reminder that the deadline for uploading a record of your second or final dose to Kallaco is September 17. [Ed. note: In alignment with the Commonwealth, W&M moved to encouraging strongly vaccination for all students, faculty and staff in February 2022.]
While much of W&M’s guidance for daily activities can be found in my previous message, I have one update for today. Consistent with CDC guidance, William & Mary will conduct COVID-19 testing for all students, faculty, and staff who are identified as close contacts of someone in the W&M community who tests positive for COVID-19, regardless of vaccination status.
As students and faculty return to campus, I want to remind everyone that William & Mary’s faculty members have discretion to decide whether food or drink are allowed in their classrooms. This policy was in place prior to COVID-19 and will be continued.
With ongoing public health considerations, I encourage everyone to be mindful of others’ comfort levels as we become more comfortable with this new way of living and interacting.
While this year is already shaping up to be different from last year, it remains paramount that members of our community remain vigilant with public safety precautions and reporting any cases of COVID-19 or close contact through Report COVID.

Focus on Community

It seems that every fall, we establish new routines at work and home. William & Mary is not only welcoming our students to campus, but also, on September 1, many of our faculty and staff, who may be returning to in-person work for the first time this calendar year. In addition to their own changes, they may be establishing new routines for children or other loved ones. I ask everyone to extend grace to their fellow members of the William & Mary community. There are countless nuances of experience here; please be as understanding as possible.

A Special Thank You

I want to be sure to thank the hundreds of employees who helped prepare the campus for the start of the academic year. In particular, our custodial staff and public safety personnel have spent enormous hours, with great effort, to prepare our classrooms, student housing and other facilities for the fall. We truly could not do it without you.

I am excited to get into the swing of things this year, and am hopeful we can apply the skills we developed in the last 18 months to be more flexible, compassionate and conscious of one another’s needs.

Amy Sebring
Chief Operating Officer and COVID-19 Director

Fall 2021: The Path Forward

August 24, 2021

Dear William & Mary Students, Faculty and Staff,

With the fall 2021 semester around the corner, I write today to summarize COVID-19 policies that will guide William & Mary in the new school year. These critical guidelines enable the vibrant and close-knit campus life that makes William & Mary such a special place to study and work. Some of these have been in place since May, some are new.

We have much information to cover, so please make sure to read this entire message for detailed updates on essential topics:

Health & safety measures
Academics & campus life
Additional guidance & commitment to mutual support

I encourage you to keep this message for future reference and also to bookmark Path Forward, which has been updated for the fall.

With vaccines both widely available and required at William & Mary, we currently record a 93% vaccination rate among students and a 90% vaccination rate among faculty and staff. We expect those numbers to increase in the coming weeks as those who have only received one shot come into full compliance. [Ed. note: In alignment with the Commonwealth, W&M moved to encouraging strongly vaccination for all students, faculty and staff in February 2022.]

Masks remain an important secondary line of defense against the spread of COVID-19 and are mandatory through September in indoor shared spaces. Indoor mask requirements will be re-evaluated at the end of September based on available public health data at that time.

W&M does not currently have general physical distancing requirements in place. Academic and business travel have resumed for vaccinated individuals without restriction. Unvaccinated individuals may travel, but must follow CDC guidelines pre- and post-travel. Optional travel should be avoided if possible. William & Mary is open to the public; in-person events and intercollegiate athletics are resuming.

Even while some activities have returned to normal, the pandemic is not over. Throughout the academic year, public health conditions will continue to change and they may do so in unpredictable ways. The COVID-19 Response and Public Health Advisory teams will continue to meet throughout the fall to review the public health landscape in real-time. William & Mary will adopt any necessary adjustments to our policies and communicate these quickly.

The full update continues below. As always, questions may be submitted to [[COVIDResponse]]. A key to William & Mary’s success is that we all have been in this together. We welcome your thoughtful feedback as we continue to chart a healthy academic year.

Sincerely,

Amy Sebring
Chief Operating Officer & COVID-19 Director

Health and Safety Measures

Basic Precautions

Monitor for symptoms of COVID-19. Do not attend work, class or gatherings if you are symptomatic, including if you record a fever 100.4°F or above.
Maintain good hygiene, including handwashing and use of hand sanitizer.
Frequently disinfect personal areas such as phones, keyboards, desks and offices.
The CDC still defines a “close contact” as anyone who was within six feet of a person diagnosed with COVID-19 for a cumulative 15 minutes over a 24-hour period.

Masks, Distancing, Density

Masks are required in shared indoor spaces at William & Mary, including shared spaces in residence halls, regardless of vaccination status. Masks are required in dining halls, unless actively eating or drinking.
Masks are not required outdoors, nor in private spaces, such as single-occupancy offices and residence hall bedrooms and bathrooms.
Specific physical distancing is not currently required, though the CDC advises people who are not yet fully vaccinated to continue to observe the “six-foot rule.” Although not required, use your discretion to distance where possible.
William & Mary anticipates returning to normal capacity this fall, without social distancing restrictions. Classrooms, dining halls, residence halls, intercollegiate athletics, events, clubs, social gatherings, etc., are largely returning to typical operations. Some additional requirements may need to be observed; these will be announced by email from the COVID-19 director. William & Mary is already open to the public.
Events featuring in-person visitors and speakers may resume, as may in-person business and departmental meetings.

COVID-19 Vaccination Requirements

All William & Mary students, faculty and staff have been required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or to receive a disability or religious exemption or deferral.
New hires to William & Mary are required to upload proof of vaccination or request a disability or religious exemption or deferral within three days of their start date.
Other members of the W&M community, including individuals who take courses through the W&M Osher Lifelong Learning Institute and individuals from the public with memberships to use the university’s recreational facilities, are also required to be vaccinated.

Mandatory Weekly Prevalence Testing of Those Not Yet Vaccinated

Students, faculty or staff who have a disability or religious exemption or deferral (depending on circumstances) are required to be tested for COVID-19 once a week throughout the semester, at no cost to them. William & Mary uses PCR testing for its very high accuracy.
This cadence allows William & Mary to identify positive cases quickly, an important public health action when social distancing and some masking requirements have been lifted.
Student testing will begin as undergraduates return to campus. Staff and faculty testing has started already. Employees who are out sick, on approved leave or living/working more than 90 miles from a W&M campus during their scheduled testing will be rescheduled.
If you are in the weekly testing pool, you will receive an initial email from William & Mary on how to pick up a weekly saliva test in the Sadler Center vending machine and return it via a secure mailbox in the William & Mary post office. Please mark your calendar to do this weekly because participation is mandatory; do not rely on reminder emails.

Failure to Participate in Mandatory Testing

For students, failing to comply with the weekly testing requirement will be considered a violation of the Student Code of Conduct (i.e. “Failing to comply with the directions of university officials”) and may result in disciplinary action.
For faculty and staff, failing to comply with the weekly testing requirement is grounds for disciplinary action. Those who do not meet testing requirements are placed on leave without pay and, if they do not come into compliance within 30 days, their employment with William & Mary may be terminated.

Other Testing Protocols

Because COVID-19 testing has become widely available and the university community has a high rate of vaccination, William & Mary is not planning to offer at-will COVID-19 testing to employees, exit testing at the end of the semester nor wastewater testing.
Students who have symptoms of COVID-19 should contact the Student Health Center to arrange testing.
Faculty and staff members who have symptoms of COVID-19 should contact their medical providers for testing. All W&M insurance programs cover COVID-19 tests.
The Public Health Advisory Team continues to monitor CDC guidance on testing asymptomatic, vaccinated individuals and will update the community as needed.

Case Management and Contact Tracing

William & Mary is continuing to provide case management services to students, faculty and staff this fall. Case managers conduct contact tracing within the university community and help community members navigate study and work during the 10-day isolation period following a positive diagnosis.
If you test positive for COVID-19 or are identified as a close contact, you must notify the university through Report COVID to initiate contact tracing.

Quarantine & Isolation

With a strong vaccination rate, William & Mary will not be providing quarantine and isolation housing for students this school year.
Having emergency plans in place for quarantine and/or isolation is critical to protecting student health and that of the entire William & Mary community, especially if you are not yet vaccinated.
Students were advised to solidify emergency COVID-19 plans with family in advance of returning to campus this fall.
International students not able to develop an emergency plan at this time were directed to the Office of International Students, Scholars and Programs for help in identifying solutions. Domestic students were directed to the Dean of Students Office for guidance. As always, students in emergency situations will be assisted.
W&M case managers will continue to be assigned to students who test positive for COVID-19 or are identified as close contacts. Case managers help navigate study and the quarantine and isolation process and conduct contact tracing within the W&M community.

COVID-19 Dashboard

The university will reinstate its COVID-19 dashboard as the fall semester begins.

Academics & Campus Life

Academic Calendar & Course Delivery

The academic calendar returns to a normal cadence this fall without compression, including a traditional holiday break.
Courses are being delivered primarily in-person, with limited hybrid or remote options.

Classrooms and Campus Spaces

Classrooms, academic buildings and other campus spaces are anticipated to return to normal capacity in the fall. William & Mary is open to the public.
Masks over the nose and mouth are required in shared indoor spaces, including classrooms. Masks are also required indoors when teaching.
Outdoor tents are being added to campus to provide additional classroom, dining and recreational space.

Events, Traditions & Athletics

William & Mary’s dynamic campus life, including events, traditions and intercollegiate athletics, are anticipated to return to normal capacity, without distancing, this fall.

Visitors and Invited Speakers, Performers, Etc.

Visitors and invited speakers or performers are welcome.
If you are organizing a visit as a unit, department or organization, please ask the visitor(s) to monitor for symptoms of COVID-19 in the days leading up to the visit and decline in-person events if they experience symptoms.
Masks are required throughout September in indoor shared spaces on all William & Mary properties.
Invited speakers and other guests must wear a mask if speaking indoors.
Please consider carefully whether you can hold an event outdoors and if food and drink is critical to the event. Being outdoors is safer than holding an event indoors; not offering food or drinks is safer than offering them. If you offer food, favor single-service and takeaway or portable options that allow people time and space to move outdoors.
We recommend planning a back-up method of delivery in case plans are unexpectedly affected by COVID-19 conditions.
Event organizers should consider mitigation strategies:
- Hold events outdoors if possible, especially if food or drinks are planned.
- For indoor events with food or drink, limit the length of time the food or drink are available, select venues that promote physical distancing and provide food options that are individually wrapped or served.
Event attendees should also consider some precautions:
- Forego attending events if you’re feeling sick.
- Use good judgment in wearing masks, even outdoors.
- Maintain proper use of masks indoors, replacing your mask promptly after eating and drinking.

Travel & Research

William & Mary returned to its pre-pandemic travel policy, with key caveats, in June.
Visit the travel section of Path Forward for more details, including quarantine requirements for people who are not yet vaccinated.

Additional Guidance & Resources

Returning to In-Person Work

President Katherine A. Rowe has outlined the five phases of returning to in-person work in greater numbers at William & Mary. The campus is currently in Phase III, beginning to return to in-person work, which launched with the Employee Convocation ceremony in July.
Employees who have been working remotely should generally expect to shift their primary work locations back to campus by Sept. 1.
These phases are being managed by individual Cabinet members, with central support and approval from William & Mary.

Guided by William & Mary’s Values

Reflecting on William & Mary’s values helps us all navigate returning to the physical campus this fall, whether a student, a faculty member or a staff member. They remind us to reflect the values of integrity, respect, service, flourishing and belonging in our daily interactions with one another.
Specifically, we avoid “us versus them” thinking that generates division within William & Mary and hampers our business of learning, teaching, studying and working in community. We have united and protected each other all year long; we must continue.
While vaccination status is reported to the central university, it remains individual medical information that should be treated with the same level of sensitivity that you would apply to any other medical inquiry.
To that end, William & Mary uses a system of “cleared” or “not cleared” to delineate community members who are included or exempted from testing, quarantine, etc.
As always, William & Mary faculty and staff members are expected to treat others with respect and professionalism.
In addition, the W&M Code of Ethics states that members of this community will “treat other people with dignity and respect, ensuring there is no discrimination or harassment at William & Mary.”

Resources & Communication

The Path Forward website remains the central hub for COVID-19 policies in the fall, while the W&M Coronavirus website houses all pandemic-related communications. Questions can be sent directly to [[COVIDResponse]].
Watch for frequent email updates from Amy Sebring, chief operating officer and COVID-19 director, throughout the semester. These announce critical policy changes adopted in response to a changing public health landscape.
Weekly emails from the provost to faculty and from Human Resources to employees also highlight important announcements.
The W&M Digest provides daily news to faculty and staff, while Student Happenings emails students twice a week.

Masking Policy for the Start of the Semester

August 9, 2021

Dear William & Mary Community,

As we welcome the start of the fall semester, the health and safety of our students, faculty and staff remain our highest priority. We continue to monitor the scientific data on COVID-19 and respond to evolving CDC guidance regarding the more highly contagious delta variant.

The CDC now recommends that in areas where there is a substantial infection rate, everyone should wear a mask in public indoor spaces, regardless of whether they have been vaccinated. The localities immediately surrounding William & Mary are currently classified as exhibiting high rates of transmission.

With that in mind, we are temporarily reinstating a requirement for masks to be worn indoors by everyone, including visitors, in shared spaces, effective Tuesday, Aug. 10. The policy applies to all classrooms, labs, shared offices and indoor hallways in buildings on William & Mary properties. The indoor mask requirement does not apply to single-occupant offices, nor to student rooms or common areas in residence halls. [Editor's Note: This guidance was amended on Aug. 18 to require masks in common areas within residence halls, but not rooms or bathrooms.] Visitors to residence halls during the fall move-in days will be expected to wear masks.

William & Mary will require masks indoors in public spaces through the end of September in part to allow time for those who need to receive their second vaccine dose by the Sept. 17 deadline. By Oct. 1, we will evaluate the need to continue wearing masks indoors based on guidance from public health officials and current data from our community.

Masks will not be required outdoors. They are recommended if you are in a large gathering outdoors. Vaccinated or not, if you feel a mask would afford you greater protection or help protect those around you, please do not hesitate to “mask up.” There are any number of reasons students, faculty or staff members may wear a mask over their nose and mouth some or all of the time on our campuses.

Intercollegiate athletics training and competition will be conducted within NCAA guidance for athletes, coaches, physical trainers and other Tier 1 individuals.

We are pleased to report that more than 80% of our students, faculty and staff have verified they are now fully vaccinated. These percentages are increasing every day. Yet as research on the delta variant in vaccinated individuals evolves, wearing masks offers a simple, inexpensive and effective temporary measure as more people return to our campus.

We expect that everyone at W&M will support each other in these public health practices, with mutual understanding and respect. Thank you again for doing your part to keep our community well.

Free Employee COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic on Tuesday, August 10

August 5, 2021

Dear William & Mary Faculty and Staff,

We are pleased to announce that Williamsburg Drug Co. will be on campus beginning 10 a.m. this Tuesday, Aug. 10, to offer free COVID-19 vaccination doses to all W&M faculty and staff. The clinic will be held in the Sadler Center’s Tidewater rooms. Parking restrictions for the stadium lot will be waived for the clinic.

To sign up, please visit the Pre-Vaccination Screening Form.

As a reminder, William & Mary is requiring COVID-19 vaccination, or an approved disability or religious exemption or deferral, for all faculty, staff and students this semester. [Ed. note: In alignment with the Commonwealth, W&M moved to encouraging strongly vaccination for all students, faculty and staff in February 2022.] Employees must provide record of their first vaccination dose in the Kallaco portal on or before Aug. 10. The W&M Health Logistics Team will have staff on hand at the clinic site to help you upload your records after you receive your first dose.

Faculty and staff are eligible for up to eight hours of leave for vaccination appointments and their side effects. Please coordinate with your supervisor.

If you have additional questions about the clinic, please contact [[healthytogether, William & Mary's Health Logistics Team]] or Adam Brown with Williamsburg Drug Co.

Given the scientific evidence to date, W&M has concluded that full vaccination is in the best interests of the health of our community. We hope you will take advantage of this opportunity to better protect yourself, your colleagues and our students.

Sincerely,

Amy Sebring
Chief Operating Officer and COVID-19 Director

Update: COVID-19 Vaccines Required for Fall

July 29, 2021

Dear W&M Students, Faculty, and Staff,

William & Mary’s success in sustaining our mission during the pandemic has depended on our continued adjustment to changing pandemic conditions and new data. Through the past month, as we planned for the Fall 2021 semester, we have been tracking the recent surge in cases nationally and the continued emergence of COVID-19 variants. Our principal goals remain the same: to safeguard the health of our students, faculty, and staff so as to be able to keep teaching, keep learning, and keep living and working together.

Given the changing public health context, I write today with an important update regarding William & Mary’s vaccination requirements for the fall semester. We are encouraged by the strong response of students and employees earlier this week to our reminder to report vaccination status. But we are not there yet. W&M’s current rates are not sufficient to safeguard our community during in-person activities this fall.

In May, I wrote to notify you that the university would be requiring COVID-19 vaccines, likely later in the year. Based on our current data and public health conditions, William & Mary will be moving up that timeline. As of July 29, 2021, the university is requiring vaccination for all students, faculty, and staff unless an express exemption applies. [Ed. note: In alignment with the Commonwealth, W&M moved to encouraging strongly vaccination for all students, faculty and staff in February 2022.] Deadlines and a summary of the updated policy may be found below. More information on W&M vaccine rates and the principles and process we used in making this decision may be found below as well.

Vaccination is the single most important action we can take to protect ourselves and the people we care about from COVID-19. Widespread vaccination is critical to allowing William & Mary to resume the in-person gatherings we know our community seeks. So please read through the following adjusted guidelines with care. Our success as a community depends on all of us, individually, taking action to ensure that we can convene together in a healthy way.

As we prepare for the fall – carrying forward the grit, adaptability, and consideration for others that make this community remarkable – I am confident that we will continue to succeed, together.

Sincerely,

Katherine A. Rowe
President

Updated COVID-19 vaccine requirements for W&M as of July 29, 2021

All students, faculty, and staff are required to record the first vaccination dose in the Kallaco portal on or before Tuesday, Aug. 10. The second or final dose is due on or before Friday, Sept. 17;
William & Mary will observe appropriate medical and religious exemptions. To file for an exemption by Aug. 10, visit Exemptions and Deferrals on Path Forward for instructions;
We recognize that international students may not have access to vaccines in their home countries. W&M will help international students receive vaccination appointments upon arrival. International students should contact International Students, Scholars & Programs or email the [[covidresponse, COVID-19 Response Team]].
Routine testing of those who are in the process of vaccination or exempted will continue as a condition of their participation in in-person activities.

Increased reporting and current vaccination data

This week, we saw a significant uptick in reported vaccinations at the university, in response to the call from Ginger Ambler, vice president of Student Affairs, and Amy Sebring, chief operating officer and COVID-19 director last Monday.

Students verified fully vaccinated: 7,324 (77%)
Employees verified fully vaccinated: 2,241 (75%)

We are impressed by the community’s response throughout the entire pandemic and grateful to those who swiftly updated their information. We also heard clearly how important it is for our campus to return to a semester in which we have confidence that the community is highly vaccinated. We are not there yet.

Changing public health conditions for late summer and fall

The delta variant poses a sobering threat to the health and safety of unvaccinated persons and to our healthcare infrastructure. Some individuals cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons; many more live with children under the age of vaccination. The strenuous work required to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in our community has required extraordinary effort from many faculty, staff, and students. Vaccination is a critical tool that our community must use to its fullest capacity, out of respect for those who are vulnerable and those who have transformed their working lives to sustain our mission.

Principles and processes

We approached this decision in a measured way, with guidance from our Public Health Advisory Team, in consultation with Virginia state institution peers and public health authorities, and after discussion with Faculty Assembly, Staff Assembly, and PPFA leadership.

Our principle throughout the pandemic has been that our Healthy Together requirements apply to everyone: students, faculty, and staff. So it is essential that we provide a clear understanding of the consequences of non-compliance and that these apply to everyone as well.

Students who do not record their vaccination records or do not have a medical or religious exemption in place by the deadline will be administratively withdrawn. Students who are administratively withdrawn will be disenrolled from courses and not be permitted to live in campus housing.
Employees who do not record their vaccination or exemption will be placed on leave without pay and employment may be terminated.

Additional details on the vaccine requirement can be found at Path Forward.

The critical importance of available vaccines becomes more evident every day. Vaccination prevents most cases of serious illness and death, even against the delta variant. For more information about vaccinations and to make an appointment, please visit Vaccinate Virginia or talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Reconsidering Fall Operations at William & Mary

July 26, 2021

Dear William & Mary Community,

William & Mary’s first reporting deadline for vaccination status passed on July 15. [Ed. note: In alignment with the Commonwealth, W&M moved to encouraging strongly vaccination for all students, faculty and staff in February 2022.] The current vaccination rates are well below where we expected them to be based on prior surveys and where we need them to be:

Students verified fully vaccinated: 5,480 (56.2%)
Employees verified fully vaccinated: 2,118 (72.2%)

We will return to primarily in-person campus operations, yet our plans for “more regular” operations have been predicated on having a highly vaccinated campus community. Right now, our reported numbers fall well below a level that would allow William & Mary responsibly to continue planning as we were. Unless William & Mary sees a significant increase in reported vaccinations, the university will need to adopt or reimpose additional COVID-19 mitigation measures. These could include limitations on social gatherings, sporting events and other public activities; reinstating universal masking requirements regardless of vaccination status; and/or mandatory vaccinations before the start of the fall semester.

William & Mary asks two things of you today:

If you are vaccinated or have started the vaccination process, report it to W&M by 5 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday, July 28. Visit the Kallaco portal to upload images of the vaccination card you received when you were administered your dose(s). This process takes only a few minutes. The Records section will walk you through the process to upload each dose. Kallaco is also accepting the vaccines listed for emergency use by the World Health Organization; select “Other” when you upload if your vaccine is WHO approved, but not listed. If you need assistance to upload your vaccination card, please email [[HealthyTogether]].

Get vaccinated. Having a high level of vaccination in our university community is the way we can safely and responsibly convene in-person in the regular ways that matter so much to university life. Being vaccinated is also the single most effective thing we can do to protect our own health and that of those around us. In Virginia, visit Vaccinate Virginia to learn more about vaccines and make an appointment, or call your pharmacist or doctor.

We realize this news is especially unwelcome for students, whom we emailed recently to share details about what campus life was anticipated to look like in the fall. The lack of self-reported W&M vaccine data, along with the national surge in COVID-19 cases predominantly among the unvaccinated, have driven us to provide this update. As has been the case throughout the pandemic, our first priority is the health of our community.

William & Mary has no higher hope than that our current numbers reflect a lack of reporting more than a lack of vaccination in the community. That said, the COVID-19 Response and Public Health Advisory teams can only plan based on the data we are able to obtain. The data we receive in the next two days are critical to that planning process and will inform decisions we need to make now for the semester that starts next month.

As a community, we want to remain healthy together and urge each of you to do your part.

Sincerely,

Ginger Ambler
Vice President for Student Affairs

Amy Sebring
Chief Operating Officer and COVID-19 Director

Update on Vaccine Policy and Requirements

June 29, 2021

Dear William & Mary Faculty and Staff,

I write with a reminder on William & Mary’s COVID-19 vaccination policy. The university will require all faculty and staff to be vaccinated once the FDA moves from emergency use authorization to full approval. [Ed. note: In alignment with the Commonwealth, W&M moved to encouraging strongly vaccination for all students, faculty and staff in February 2022.]

Beginning the week of July 19, in conjunction with the resumption of work on campus, the university will require all unvaccinated employees to be tested weekly. Testing for 9/10-month faculty will begin the week of August 9, consistent with the term of their employment contracts. Employees who are out sick or on approved leave during their scheduled testing will be rescheduled.

As we continue to review the public health data, vaccines remain the single most effective option for reducing the spread of COVID-19 and related variants. Testing remains an important tool for monitoring and reducing spread for those who remain unvaccinated. Testing results and data regarding vaccine prevalence will continue to inform decisions about the policies and practices necessary to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 on campus.

If You Are Fully Vaccinated

You will not be contacted for weekly testing if you have submitted documentation of vaccination.

As a reminder, if you have already been vaccinated but have not yet loaded your information in the Kallaco portal, please do so immediately. Kallaco is William & Mary’s COVID-19 logistics partner and the vehicle by which you provide confirmation of your vaccination status to the university.

To provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination, upload photos of the vaccination card you received when you were administered the vaccine. Kallaco Health & Technology has introduced the ability to upload proof in the Kallaco portal.
If you have not activated your Kallaco account, choose “Forgot Password,” and do not use your W&M password. Do not create a new account.
Visit the Record section in Kallaco and follow the prompts to upload a photo of your vaccination card. Complete this upload process for each vaccine dose on your card.
If you are reporting a WHO-approved emergency use vaccine, please visit Kallaco in early July. The platform is building the capacity to accept WHO international vaccines. Find more on vaccines W&M accepts at Path Forward.

If You Are Not Yet Fully Vaccinated

William & Mary will contact you weekly with the time and location for your COVID-19 test.

As noted, COVID-19 testing for unvaccinated employees remains an essential tool in reducing spread of the virus on campus. Therefore, if you do not complete your testing as required, you will be placed on leave without pay until the testing requirement has been completed.

Thank you for your continued efforts to keep W&M healthy together.

Sincerely,

Amy Sebring
Chief Operating Officer and COVID-19 Director

Update on Indoor Mask Guidance

June 22, 2021

Dear William & Mary Faculty and Staff,

I write today with an update on our indoor masking guidance, following the evaluation of the policy that was shared in my May 17 update.

Effective today, William & Mary will no longer require face masks indoors on any of its properties. Masks have been optional outdoors at W&M since May 17.

As we continue to plan effective policies for the fall and gather information about the vaccination status of our campus community, the Public Health Advisory Team currently recommends a COVID-19 mitigation plan that prioritizes vaccination and adequate prevalence testing.

By and large, the W&M community has voluntarily embraced COVID-19 vaccination opportunities, even in advance of vaccination being required for in-person activities at W&M once at least one vaccine receives full FDA approval. [Ed. note: In alignment with the Commonwealth, W&M moved to encouraging strongly vaccination for all students, faculty and staff in February 2022.] Public health officials advise that vaccinated people can gather safely together for work or study without masks.

William & Mary encourages all unvaccinated students, employees and visitors to wear masks according to guidance provided by the governor of Virginia, the Virginia Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. William & Mary encourages all students, employees and visitors to protect their health and the health of others who may not be vaccinated. Masks covering the mouth and nose remain the single most effective mitigation strategy for unvaccinated individuals.

W&M continues to welcome masks on campus for anyone who chooses to wear one, regardless of their vaccination status. Masks remain an effective way to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and a host of other diseases, including colds and flu. We encourage all to be mindful of one another’s comfort levels as we emerge from this pandemic.

Sincerely,

Amy Sebring
Chief Operating Officer and COVID-19 Director

Spring 2021 Semester Wrap-Up

May 27, 2021

Dear William & Mary Students, Faculty & Staff,

I write today with some final pieces of information related to W&M’s COVID-19 operations as we move into the summer months.

First, with most student activity being remote for the summer, we have suspended updates to the COVID-19 dashboard as of Friday, May 21. We will revisit the dashboard and its utility as we approach the start of Fall 2021.

We will also scale down our COVID-19 testing over the summer to reflect a lower campus density and the decline in positive cases in the region.

While we no longer require masks to be worn outdoors or in off-campus settings, the indoor mask mandate on campus remains in place for now. As President Rowe indicated, we will reevaluate that policy after July 15, once we have more data on the vaccination status of our community.

We know that although many individuals are fully vaccinated, the campus community as a whole is not fully vaccinated. Earlier this month, I shared with the Board of Visitors’ Executive Committee information provided by the Public Health Advisory Team on the effectiveness of masks in reducing the spread of COVID-19 even when individuals are in close proximity. Therefore, as we move into the summer and begin returning to more typical capacity levels in our buildings, we will lift the 6-foot distancing requirement in William & Mary facilities. We continue to recommend that people maintain a reasonable physical distance as they are able.

Consistent with Governor Northam’s decision to ease certain commonsense public health restrictions, William & Mary will no longer establish or enforce restrictions on the size of employee or student gatherings off campus. Limitations on usage of W&M facilities will continue as needed to enable a smooth return to in-person work on campus.

In addition, I do not plan to send weekly updates throughout the summer. Instead, W&M will update our Path Forward website with the latest information as it relates to the pandemic throughout the summer months.

We will also send out updates related to our fall plans over the summer, particularly as we approach the July 15 deadline for notifying us of your vaccination status. [Ed. note: In alignment with the Commonwealth, W&M moved to encouraging strongly vaccination for all students, faculty and staff in February 2022.] In her announcement last week, President Rowe indicated that we would accept the three vaccines that have received emergency use authorization from the FDA (i.e., Pfizer, Moderna and Janssen/J&J). Based on recent guidance from the CDC, we are expanding the list of accepted vaccines to also include those that have been authorized for emergency use by the World Health Organization. As of today, those include the three vaccines with emergency use authorization from the FDA, along with AstraZeneca, Serum Institute of India and Sinopharm. We will continue to update the list based on the CDC’s guidance. More details on the process for seeking a medical or religious exemption from the anticipated vaccine requirement will be available in mid-June and will follow guidelines similar to student exemptions for other vaccines.

Finally, Chief Human Resources Officer Chris Lee and I will discuss W&M’s phased return to in-person work for those who have been working remotely during a Town Hall for all faculty and staff on June 17 at 2 p.m. During the Town Hall, we plan to review the university’s guidelines for returning and address questions.

Thank you all for your commitment to one another and to our community’s health and safety during this past year. I’ve known for quite some time that the W&M community is remarkable, but this year has been a reflection of the true selflessness and compassion shared among our students, faculty and staff.

Enjoy your summer, and please take some time to relax, rejuvenate and get some much-deserved rest.

Sincerely,

Amy Sebring

Chief Operating Officer and COVID-19 Director

W&M Plans for Phased Return

May 19, 2021

Dear W&M Faculty & Staff,

As we conclude a successful spring semester, I write to share plans for William & Mary’s return to in-person work and learning, through the summer and fall. The health and safety of our community remains our top priority. By proceeding in phases, we can adjust as needed to evolving public health conditions and federal and state guidance.

With pandemic continuing and vaccination rates increasing, it is important that W&M approach summer and fall systematically. Principles matter. So this email explains our rationale for returning employees who have been working remotely to our offices, classrooms, studios, labs, and other learning spaces, in person. It also outlines our approach to carrying forward the new kinds of efficiency and flexibility we have gained via remote work. I ask that all staff and faculty take time to read this message with care, and refer to the Path Forward website for updates.

Below my signature, I lay out five phases of transition over 14 months, with specific goals for each phase. These transitions begin with respite and provide for flexibility in the early stages of transition. To fulfill our value of flourishing, William & Mary as an organization needs to shift out of the state of crisis effort in which so many have operated, with so much dedication, for more than a year.

I know there will be questions as we move forward together. Chief Operating Officer Amy Sebring and Chief Human Resources Officer Christopher D. Lee will hold an employee town hall in mid-June. More information will be shared in the coming weeks.

Listening to graduates ringing the Wren bell, it has been exciting to think about reconvening – rejoining one another in groups and working shoulder-to-shoulder again, as our community vaccination status allows. Transitioning to in-person operations as we move through the late stages of pandemic will bring fresh challenges. Yet, we’ve proven our ability to navigate change with perseverance and grace. We can’t wait to see you.

Sincerely,

Katherine A. Rowe
President

Why return to in-person work and learning?

Intellectual community, learning in the company of others – these are the core components of our mission that call us back. The key verb in our mission statement is convene: “William & Mary convenes great minds and hearts to meet the most pressing needs of our time.”

Our students have made clear that the experience of college they seek is in-person, on our beautiful campuses in Williamsburg, at VIMS, and in D.C. The benefits of in-person learning for many have been thrown into stark relief by pandemic. For all of these reasons, William & Mary plans to be at full capacity for in-person teaching and learning in the fall. Our public health expectations will reflect that goal.

Gains we should carry forward

Whether working in person on campus, remote, or some combination of the two, our dedicated employees made this year possible for our students. Over the past year, we learned so much and we want to carry those gains forward. The ways we work and interact changed – with improvements in collaboration, efficiency, and flexibility that are important for staff, faculty, and the university as a whole. We adopted new tools and gained new fluencies. We formed new teams across disciplines and units. We expanded capabilities for remote and hybrid education, which will serve us well as we address the specific needs of those who cannot return to campus, such as international students still awaiting visas.

W&M’s phased return: now through June 30, 2022

Over the next 14 months, in the five phases outlined below, we will determine the appropriate modes of work to accomplish the mission of each office and academic function. Some of our employees have remained steadfastly on campus throughout the pandemic. Yet, many of our faculty and staff have not worked routinely on campus since March 2020. So those employees and units will need to return in an intentional way. As you do, your safety and well-being will continue to be our top priority.

Cabinet members will assess the optimal work modes for different functions and disciplines, to carry forward gains in efficiency and flexibility we saw this year. Their goal is to identify appropriate kinds of flexibility that benefit the university and employees, while advancing our mission of teaching, learning, and research in a predominantly in-person context.

The Provost and Deans will share academic plans as the summer unfolds, and the Chief Operating Officer will communicate regularly with staff. As always, we will continue to adjust William & Mary policies to reflect Commonwealth and federal guidance.

Phase I – May 24-June 5: campus slow-down

Many employees will take their earned vacation during these slower weeks for the university. We have asked all supervisors to plan for such leave, assuming minimum staffing levels to maintain continuity of operations.
For those unable to use these weeks, supervisors should identify alternate weeks when you can take much-needed vacation.
We ask all faculty and staff to avoid sending evening and weekend emails unless the matter is truly urgent. (Find tutorials on “send delay” for Outlook and Gmail.)
We ask each of you to do everything you can to support and respect this needed slow-down – and to model it for each other. Taking vacation now will be essential for your well-being and success throughout the coming year.

Phase II – June 6-July 15: campus open for employees / remote learning / phased opening to public

Campus will be open for employees as needed and as appropriate to your work. You are welcome to use your offices, noting that masks and social distancing are still required indoors until W&M community vaccination status is established. Masks are not required outdoors.
Learning for the summer term will be predominantly remote. This allows employees who were directly involved in W&M’s public health response to return to pre-pandemic work responsibilities. It also creates the time needed for cleaning and facility renovations deferred for two years.
We ask supervisors to ensure that employees schedule time each week, without meetings or interruptions, for administrative tasks and catch-up.
We will begin reopening campus to the public in a phased way June 1 and will provide routine updates on the Path Forward website.

Phase III – July 16-September 1: begin to return to in-person

Functional units that have been working fully or predominantly in a remote format will begin to return in person.
Indoor mask policies will be announced, based on vaccination data.
July 16: Employee Convocation celebrating staff and faculty, on campus in Williamsburg.
Employees who have been working remotely generally should expect to shift their primary work location back to campus by September 1, 2021.

Phase IV – Fall Semester 2021: Predominantly in-person / Decisions on functional work modes overseen by Cabinet members

We expect faculty to be on campus during the academic year and most courses will be offered in person or in a hybrid format.
Mask requirements will be based on vaccination data, public health guidance, and prevalence of COVID-19.
W&M programs that are exclusively remote will remain so, and we will continue to provide online opportunities for our international students and others as we expand our reach online.
Cabinet members will oversee this period of flexible transition.
The need for exceptions to these standards and expectations will continue to be recognized over the next 14-month transition period until June 30, 2022.

Phase V: Spring Semester 2022. In person, with adaptations determined by Cabinet

Recognizing that our understanding of how different modes of work best meet our institutional mission, we ask Cabinet members to develop and communicate their longer-term understanding to the president and their units or schools by January 15, 2022.
Cabinet will make these assessments using four tiers of evaluation, in this order:

What’s in the best interest of the university?
What’s best for a functional area?
What’s best for a specific role?
What’s best for individual employees?

In addition, Cabinet members will focus on how William & Mary can create a work culture with a shared understanding of what’s reasonable to expect for individual employee flexibility on an intermittent basis.

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W&M Vaccination Guidance for AY21-22

May 18, 2021

Dear W&M Students, Staff, and Faculty,

I write to share William & Mary’s intentions with respect to COVID-19 vaccination. In recent weeks, many have asked about vaccination requirements. At this stage of the pandemic, clear guidelines are essential to our ability to plan ahead.

Our current data on the progress of vaccination among students and employees to date may be found at our Public Health Advisory blog. The good progress we are making on vaccinating our community is encouraging. Kudos to the outstanding efforts of our Williamsburg Clinic partners and so many volunteers from around the City.

William & Mary’s vaccine policy for the fall is shaped by our mission and goals, consistent with our pandemic response so far. The overriding considerations around which we plan are to protect public health and the safety of our academic community and neighbors. A key to our success so far has been that everyone in this community – faculty, staff, and students – has embraced the same requirements.

Given the scientific evidence to date, we have concluded that full vaccination is in the best interests of the health of our community. Once the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given full biologics license approval of at least one vaccine product, William & Mary will require vaccination for students and employees. [Ed. note: In alignment with the Commonwealth, W&M moved to encouraging strongly vaccination for all students, faculty and staff in February 2022.] We will ensure appropriate religious and health exemptions, consistent with our usual practices and policies. Those who are already vaccinated with FDA-approved Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) vaccines will not need to re-vaccinate unless boosters are recommended for efficacy.

Guidelines for the fall semester will apply to all

In the interim, in order to maximize in-person learning and living at William & Mary in fall, while prioritizing safety, the following guidelines will apply:

All students, faculty, and staff intending to participate in in-person activities in Fall 2021 must provide proof of their FDA-approved EUA vaccination status by July 15, 2021.
All those who do not provide proof of full vaccination will be required to be tested prior to arrival and at minimum once a week upon return to campus, to mitigate transmission of COVID-19. Specialized activities and working conditions may require more frequent testing, as warranted, based on the recommendations of our Public Health Advisory Team.

We are taking these steps because William & Mary will be predominantly in-person next academic year. Programs that are fully online will remain so and we will continue to explore additional remote and hybrid learning paths in innovative ways. Yet students have been overwhelmingly clear about what they seek from their college experience at William & Mary: in-person learning and living, with the ability to convene as freely as possible on our beautiful campus. And faculty and staff have been clear that for many different degrees and fields, in-person environments ensure optimum teaching, learning, and research. Given the public health context that we anticipate for fall 2021, and given what we currently know about the science of COVID-19, our success next year depends on widespread vaccination.

In arriving at these policies, we relied on the opinion of Virginia’s Attorney General. We sought the advice of W&M’s Public Health Advisory Team. And we consulted with the leadership of W&M’s faculty and staff assemblies, and with peer institutions in the Commonwealth.

Operational changes after July 15 will depend on reported vaccination rates

Given the new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance for fully vaccinated individuals, we will update our Healthy Together Commitment and Path Forward guidelines by July 1. Per COO Amy Sebring’s message this week, masks are not required outdoors as of May 18. W&M supports anyone wearing a mask who wishes to.

We will reconsider indoor masking requirements at William & Mary after July 15 when we understand the vaccination rates in this community. Note that the CDC’s recent update to masking guidelines relate to individuals who are fully vaccinated. As a community, we are not yet fully vaccinated.

Below my signature you will find information on how to report vaccination status and pre-arrival testing for the fall. For additional information on vaccination guidelines, including frequently asked questions, please visit W&M’s Path Forward website.

Later this week, I will share a phased plan for return to in-person work and learning, aligned with current federal and state guidelines.

Sincerely,

Katherine A. Rowe
President

Report vaccination status and provide proof of vaccination

To provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination, upload photos of the vaccination card you received when you were administered the vaccine. Kallaco Health & Technology has introduced the ability to upload proof in the Kallaco portal.
If you do not have a Kallaco account, create one by choosing “Forgot Password,” and do not use your W&M password.
Visit the Record section in Kallaco and follow the prompts to upload a photo of your vaccination card. Complete this upload process for each vaccine dose on your card.

Pre-arrival testing for those not vaccinated

Students who have not received a vaccination approved by U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) will be required to present a negative COVID-19 PCR test administered within 72 hours prior to moving into on-campus housing or participating in any on-campus activities.
Students and visiting scholars who have not received an FDA-approved vaccination and whose travel schedule will make it difficult to meet the above timeline will be asked to test negative for COVID-19 in the 2-3 days before they begin their travel and again when they arrive at campus. No quarantine is anticipated for international students and scholars as long as they test negative.
All students will undergo additional COVID-19 testing until fully vaccinated.

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Updates to W&M Masking Policy

May 17, 2021

Dear William & Mary Students, Faculty & Staff,

Last week the federal Centers for Disease Control & Prevention as well as the Commonwealth of Virginia issued updated public health guidance for those individuals vaccinated against COVID-19, recognizing that the nation’s communities are becoming safer as vaccination levels increase.

In response to continuing increases in vaccination in our area and at the university, William & Mary is also updating our masking policies.

Outdoors

William & Mary will no longer require face masks outdoors on campus, effective tomorrow, Tuesday, May 18. This applies to all students, faculty, staff, contracted workers and campus visitors.
Outdoor signage at campus entrances requiring visitors to wear masks will be relocated over the next week to main campus buildings, to emphasize our indoor guidelines.
Those who wish to continue to wear masks outdoors should do so with the university’s full support.
Individuals who are unvaccinated should still maintain physical distancing and masking measures consistent with the CDC’s guidance.
Outdoor Commencement ceremonies will not require masks; we will continue to observe the distancing built into these plans. W&M will issue additional Commencement updates this week.
Please note that off campus, the Commonwealth continues to require or recommend masks in a number of situations, including on public transit.

Indoors

William & Mary continues to require face masks indoors regardless of vaccination status. Although many individuals may be vaccinated, as a community, we are not yet fully vaccinated. We will evaluate this policy after July 15, based on vaccination rates in our university community.
You can help by reporting your vaccination status through Banner Self-Service and uploading photos of the COVID-19 vaccination card you received when you were administered the vaccine. Kallaco Health & Technology has introduced the ability to upload proof in the Kallaco portal.
If you do not have a Kallaco account, create one by choosing “Forgot Password,” and do not use your W&M password.
Visit the Record section in Kallaco and follow the prompts to upload a photo of your vaccination card. Complete this upload process for each vaccine dose on your card.

We recognize that as suddenly as we went into “pandemic mode” last year, now we seem to be emerging from it more quickly than many might expect. Changes can create worry and confusion, so we will continue to communicate very clear guidelines, this week and going forward.

W&M is not prohibiting masks nor distancing. Students, faculty and staff should not feel rushed to abandon public health measures that have allowed us to study and work together. There is little downside to continuing to mask and distance. W&M will support you if you choose to continue to do so for your own comfort or for the protection of those who are unable to be vaccinated.

We ask that each of us support each other in this way, as a matter of respect and care for the community.

Sincerely,

Amy Sebring
Chief Operating Officer and COVID-19 Director

Two Important Federal COVID-19 Updates

April 29, 2021

Dear William & Mary Community,

Federal health officials on Tuesday offered two important updates that relate to colleges and universities; one on vaccination roll-out and the other on masking requirements for people who are fully vaccinated, so we wanted to address both today:

Second Doses

On Tuesday, the federal government asked pharmacies participating in the national COVID-19 vaccination program to administer second doses to citizens regardless of residency or where they obtained their first dose.
This is particularly helpful for residential college students, especially out-of-state students, who might have been waiting until they returned home to begin the vaccination process. There is no need to wait, and we encourage you to sign up for the local vaccination clinic this Friday.
We are offering the vaccination opportunity at the Colonial Williamsburg Visitors Center, from 8:30 a.m-4:30 p.m. this Friday, April 30. Visit the registration site to sign up.
The clinic has reserved doses of the Moderna vaccine for William & Mary students, faculty and staff. Round-trip shuttles will run every 15 minutes from Sadler Center circle to the vaccine clinic.
Please update Banner Self-Service now if you wish to be vaccinated through William & Mary’s coordinating efforts this semester.

Masking Requirements for Fully Vaccinated People

Also on Tuesday, the CDC issued new masking guidance for fully vaccinated people, loosening some requirements, especially outdoors. As in past guidance, the CDC advice is designed to guide the behavior of individuals, not to guide institutional decisions. William & Mary is evaluating the guidance to determine how it applies here.
Although we have made significant progress in offering vaccines to the W&M community, approximately 40% of our students and roughly 55% of our employees report being fully vaccinated.
As a reminder, the CDC considers a person fully vaccinated if at least two weeks has passed since their final dose of a one- or two-dose vaccine sequence.
We are encouraged by the number of students, faculty and staff who have already received one dose and others who have indicated they still plan to be vaccinated.
W&M will continue to re-assess the community’s progress in becoming fully vaccinated and will update our policies as appropriate.
Until then, we continue to be especially sensitive to the needs of our graduating class, scheduled for in-person Commencement next month; W&M does not want to adopt new policy changes that would endanger graduation.
What can you do?
- Be vaccinated against COVID-19 if you are able to. Higher vaccination rates in the university community will help us return to a more “normal” campus life.
- Report your vaccination status through Banner Self-Service. Accurate, timely data will help W&M make confident public health decisions about masking, spacing and safely reconvening in-person work, research and study.
- Once fully vaccinated, upload your vaccination information into the Kallaco portal.

W&M Healthy Together

Updates & Highlights From COO Amy Sebring

April 27, 2021

Dear William & Mary Community,

I write today with updates on census testing results, longer library hours, vaccination opportunities, exit-testing for this semester and looking toward the fall.

Census Testing Results

Last week we completed census testing, with only two positive results of the more than 5,000 tests administered. The results track closely with our wastewater testing that likewise detected virus shed in just one of the 16 zones. While we aspire for those numbers to zero out entirely, the results now are remarkable, and they demonstrate how committed our students have been to placing public health front and center this academic year. I am so proud to be part of this community.

Swem Library Hours

In response to thoughtful requests presented to us by the Student Assembly leadership, starting on Sunday, May 9, W&M Libraries is extending Swem’s hours to midnight Monday through Thursday and 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. We are hopeful that this extra time will help to ease some of the stress and anxiety that come with finals. The extended hours will run through Wednesday, May 19.

Vaccination Clinic This Friday, April 30

We are offering one more vaccination opportunity at the Colonial Williamsburg Visitors Center, from 8:30 a.m-4:30 p.m. this Friday, April 30.

The clinic has reserved doses of the Moderna vaccine for William & Mary students, faculty and staff. We will offer round-trip bus transportation from Sadler Center circle to the vaccine clinic.
Please update Banner Self-Service now if you wish to be vaccinated through William & Mary’s coordinating efforts this semester.

Exit-Testing

William & Mary is again offering free, at-will exit COVID-19 testing at the end of the semester. Right now, Health Logistics is determining how many tests to order and setting a useful timeline.

If you want an end-of-semester COVID-19 test, please take a moment to fill out the Qualtrics form at COVID-19 Exit Survey. You must complete this survey by Thursday, April 29, to be eligible for a free exit test.
According to the CDC, you can still take a test even if you’ve been vaccinated; it will not trigger a false positive. Visit the CDC’s Myths & Facts About COVID-19 Vaccines for more information.

Virginia AG Opinion on Mandatory Vaccinations

As you might know, yesterday Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring issued an opinion (PDF) that public colleges and universities may require a COVID-19 vaccination for students as a condition of in-person attendance. In response, William & Mary is working with the Commonwealth’s other public institutions of higher education and public health officials in advance of the next academic year. We anticipate updating the campus by mid-May. For now, we continue to encourage students, faculty and staff to be vaccinated if possible.

A Look to the Fall

The Public Health Advisory Team and COVID-19 Response Team continue to partner with state and university leaders to formulate a plan for the fall. This includes considerations such as physical classroom arrangements, course delivery methods and returning more substantially to in-person work. As we all have seen, COVID-19 conditions and guidelines shift with some frequency. Much like the fall and spring, William & Mary will phase planning in order to rapidly incorporate the latest in scientific and public health information.

If you’re wondering how you can help shape the path forward for fall 2021, here are some ways:

Prioritize vaccination. Especially as we look to offer more in-person living and learning conditions, we strongly encourage everyone who can receive a vaccine to do so.
Update Banner Self-Service with your vaccination status and plans. The information is not only vital to our arranging vaccination appointments for you, but is aggregated to help determine the current and future level of vaccination at W&M and hence, to effectively plan for a much more “normal” fall semester.

As always, thank you to the entire community for your support and dedication during this undesirably unprecedented year. Here’s to brighter days ahead!

Sincerely,

Amy Sebring
Chief Operating Officer & COVID-19 Director

Updates & Highlights From COO Amy Sebring

April 20, 2021

Dear William & Mary Community,

I write today with updates on student vaccinations and the CNU vaccination clinic, accommodating vaccination schedules and side effects, and student census testing.

Student Vaccination Updates

As we near the end of the semester, we recognize that many students will be leaving the Williamsburg area for the summer.
We are working with the vaccine clinic at the Colonial Williamsburg Visitors Center to offer a student clinic the week of April 26.
- WATA has agreed to provide free transportation from the Sadler Center to the clinic site.
We anticipate having 500 dedicated doses of the Moderna vaccine for students who have not been vaccinated but wish to do so.
If there is sufficient student interest, we will look to do a similar number the week of May 3.
If you wish to receive notice of those clinics, please make sure that you have updated your information through Banner Self-Service so we can email you as we finalize vaccine availability over the next two weeks.
After that date, W&M will no longer be coordinating vaccination appointments, as they have become widely available to the general public.

CNU Vaccination Clinic Information

With the CNU vaccination clinic changing locations and management, we have heard some questions about scheduling a second dose for the COVID-19 vaccine if you received your first dose at that location. We offer some additional information:

The Virginia Department of Health will contact you regarding the scheduling of your second dose. In addition, the card provided to some recipients at the CNU vaccination clinic explaining the change can be used at other vaccination locations to schedule a second dose.
- These communications will likely come a few days before you become eligible to receive your second dose. Please also keep in mind that the time frame to receive your second dose is within 42 days of the first.
If you get to the 28th day after your first dose and have not heard from VDH, please contact [[HealthyTogether]]. We will work to get your second dose scheduled in the required time frame.

Accommodating Vaccination: Please Remain Flexible

As we continue to work through vaccinating our community, I’m asking managers to remain flexible with your team members who may need to shift their schedules to accommodate vaccine appointments for themselves and loved ones.
In addition, the side effects of the vaccine vary widely, so if employees need to take time off following their vaccination, this can be done through regular sick days. If employees do not have sick time available, they can use Public Health Emergency Leave (PHEL).

Census Testing & On-Going Prevalence Testing

A reminder that W&M is currently conducting a round of student census testing for COVID-19. We anticipate results to begin returning this evening.
We plan to continue prevalence testing for employees and students through at least the end of the semester:
- To be exempted from census and prevalence testing, as well as from quarantine requirements as a close contact, please provide proof-of-vaccination to William & Mary.
- To do so, upload photos of the vaccination card you received when you were administered a COVID-19 vaccine. Kallaco Health & Technology has introduced the ability to upload proof in the Kallaco portal.
- If you do not have a Kallaco account, create one by choosing “Forgot Password,” and do not use your W&M password.
- Visit the Record section in Kallaco and follow the prompts to upload a photo of your vaccination card. You must complete this upload process for each vaccine dose on your card.

I remain hopeful that the steps we are taking toward higher vaccination and lower positivity rates create a path forward for us that more closely resembles normalcy. Thank you all for your continued efforts and dedication.

Sincerely,

Amy Sebring
Chief Operating Officer & COVID-19 Director

Vaccine Update and Upcoming Census Testing

April 13, 2021

Dear William & Mary Community,

I write today with a time-sensitive update on vaccines as well as other COVID-19-related news.

J&J VACCINES

This morning the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended that the administration of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine be paused due to what the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) notes are “extremely rare” reports of a low number of recipients experiencing blood clots up to two weeks following injection.

Effective today, W&M has confirmed that all area clinics will switch to Moderna or Pfizer until the CDC has an opportunity to further review the J&J vaccine. The CDC, FDA and VDH continue to express a high level of confidence in the efficacy and safety of Moderna and Pfizer vaccines. The review of the J&J vaccine reportedly has been triggered by six cases of adverse reactions out of the 6.8 million doses of J&J already administered nationwide.

The vast majority of W&M’s faculty, staff and students who have been vaccinated have received either Moderna or Pfizer. The Colonial Williamsburg clinic and the CNU clinic have been administering Moderna vaccines. Only those who were vaccinated yesterday through the York County partner clinic received J&J vaccines with W&M’s coordination. If you were among those, the CDC has issued advice on what to watch for in the next three weeks.

If you are scheduled for a vaccine today or later this week, there is no need to reschedule. Your appointment is secure, and the clinics have sufficient supply to provide you with a two-dose Moderna vaccination.

If you receive your first dose this week, you will receive a card with your dose information. The card will indicate that you are eligible to receive your second dose four weeks from the date of your first dose, but that second dose can be administered up to six weeks beyond the first dose.
For students who may have exams in mid-May or may be traveling home for the summer, you have some flexibility in getting your second shot.
For Virginia residents, VDH has indicated that if you are not in the Williamsburg area at the time of your second dose, you will be able to present your vaccine card to other local area health districts in Virginia to schedule your second dose.
For out-of-state students, VDH is working with their state counterparts and federal partners, including major retail chains, to determine the best options for you to receive your second dose. You should also reach out to your home state health department for additional guidance if you anticipate not being in the local area at the time of your second dose.

VACCINE OPTIONS IN THE COMING WEEKS

With the Commonwealth increasing vaccine availability to all adults, we continue to work with our local clinics to connect as many of our faculty, staff and students who wish to be vaccinated with opportunities to do so. For students, we recognize that the spring semester is drawing rapidly to a close and that our time is short to assist you in getting vaccinated if you choose to do so.

Here’s what we know:

Approximately 3,900 students have updated their personal information questionnaire (PIQ) in Banner. Of those, almost 75% of students reported that they’ve had at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. We couldn’t be more pleased with the rate of vaccine acceptance among students.
Over half of our students have yet to respond. So, if you’ve not yet updated your personal information, please do so in Banner Self-Service.
- Even if you are not interested in being vaccinated at this time, please update the PIQ so we are not using resources or reserving doses on your behalf.
This information is essential. The Commonwealth, W&M and local providers are working hard and quickly to provide student vaccine opportunities before the semester ends.
We also know that transportation to clinic sites remains an issue for many of our students. We are working with the Colonial Williamsburg clinic to provide shuttle service for future clinics. We will provide more information as we finalize those plans.

COVID-19 CENSUS TESTING

Tomorrow W&M begins another round of census testing for all students on campus and within 30 miles of the university.
Fully vaccinated students do not need to participate in either census or prevalence testing, and are exempted from quarantine requirements unless they are symptomatic.
W&M is using the CDC’s definition of “fully vaccinated,” which means that at least two weeks have elapsed since the final dose of either a one- or two-dose vaccination sequence.
Additional details follow below, along with directions on providing proof-of-vaccination.

THINGS TO KNOW IF YOU HAVE BEEN FULLY VACCINATED

As noted, W&M is following the CDC in defining who is fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The day of the last dose is Day Zero; 14 days after that, you are considered fully vaccinated.
To be exempted from census and prevalence testing, as well as from quarantine requirements as a close contact, please provide proof-of-vaccination to William & Mary.
To do so, upload photos of the vaccination card you received when you were administered a COVID-19 vaccine. Kallaco Health & Technology has introduced the ability to upload proof-of-vaccination in the Kallaco portal.
- If you do not have a Kallaco account, create one by choosing “Forgot Password” and do not use your W&M password.
- Visit the Record section in Kallaco and follow the prompts to upload a photo of your vaccination card. You must complete this upload process for each vaccine dose on your card.
While vaccination has ramped up in the Commonwealth the past few weeks, quite a number of our W&M community are not yet fully vaccinated. Consistent with CDC guidance, W&M continues to require fully vaccinated individuals to wear masks.
- Although we know vaccines are effective at protecting the individual who has been vaccinated from becoming severely ill, we do not yet know the extent to which individuals who have been vaccinated can spread the virus to those who have not yet received the vaccines.

In closing, I’d like to give a shout out to our students! We’ve seen a dramatic turnaround in our positive cases and in the number of students who are in quarantine as close contacts. The current numbers are reassuring and suggest that, as long as we remain diligent, we can meet our goal of having an in-person Commencement to celebrate the close of an unforgettable year.

Sincerely,

Amy Sebring
Chief Operating Officer & COVID-19 Director

Update on Employee & Student Vaccinations

April 8, 2021

Good morning,

W&M continues to work with the two regional clinics when vaccines are available for major area employers and are hoping to expand more broadly to students. This email covers time-sensitive requests that will enable us to meet the vaccine needs of our community.

The headlines for you to know:

For Students:

It is really important that students update their status in the Personal Information Questionnaire through Banner Self-Service as we continue to work with VDH and our local partners to identify opportunities to vaccinate all students who wish to be vaccinated before the end of the spring semester.
- It is also critical that we know who has already been vaccinated so we can identify the number of vaccines needed to cover those who remain un-vaccinated.
The level of federal supply and its predictability remain the biggest hurdle, but we are hoping to begin scheduling students – potentially as soon as next week. We will update you as additional information becomes available.

For Employees:

W&M has invited to one of the two clinic sites all faculty and staff who have indicated through Banner Self-Service that they would like to be vaccinated.
If you have not yet been vaccinated and still wish to be, please make sure you have updated your information through Banner to reflect that so that we can extend you an invitation as vaccines become available.
If you have already been vaccinated or do not wish to be vaccinated at this time, it is also important that you update that information through Banner so we do not try to schedule you.

For Those Who Have Been Vaccinated:

Based on new CDC guidance, those who have been fully vaccinated will be exempted from W&M prevalence testing and quarantine requirements. To opt-out, upload to Kallaco your vaccination information, including an image of your vaccination card.

Please read on for additional details about vaccination status in our community, how to get access and recent process changes for those already vaccinated.

Sincerely,
Amy Sebring
Chief Operating Officer and COVID-19 Director

Why Information About Your Vaccine Status is Important for W&M:

If you are seeking a vaccine, we may be able to help you find an appointment with one of the area clinics.
Based on new CDC guidance, those who have been fully vaccinated will be exempted from prevalence testing and quarantine requirements.
As more of our community gets vaccinated, we will make adjustments to our operations accordingly.

For now, here are our initial results as of Wednesday, April 7, from those surveys:

Initial Vaccine Survey Results: Faculty & Staff

We have had 1,942 faculty and staff -- or approximately two-thirds of our employees -- update their status in Banner Self-Service. Of those who have responded:
- 619 are fully vaccinated,
- 1,053 have had at least one shot,
- 204 have not yet been vaccinated, but would like to be, and
- 66 have indicated that they do not wish to be vaccinated.
If you have not yet provided information through Banner Self-Service or if your status has changed, please add that information to the Personal Information tab.
- W&M is approaching a shift away from obtaining vaccination appointments for faculty and staff. We aren’t quite at “last call,” but we aren’t far from it; please update your information so we can either work to get a slot for you or move on in our efforts to others who need it.
- W&M is using the information only to allow us to advocate for vaccination slots, coordinate testing and quarantine exemptions and assess the level of vaccination in the W&M community in order to make plans for the fall semester.
These survey results are really important to helping us facilitate this process. To date, W&M has invited all faculty and staff who have indicated they would like to be vaccinated to one of the two clinic sites. While we know who we invite, we have no mechanism to know if they actually schedule the appointment or get vaccinated unless they report in Banner.
- We will also increasingly rely on these results to assess how many in our community have been vaccinated and the extent to which those numbers allow us to modify our operational practices.

Initial Vaccine Survey Results: Students

Response among students has been much lower, with only 1,783 -- less than 20% -- responding through the PIQ under Banner Self-Service. Of those who have responded:
- 384 are fully vaccinated,
- 1,007 have received one vaccine dose,
- 24 do not wish to be vaccinated, and
- 368 would like to be vaccinated when there's an opportunity.
It is really important that students update their status in the PIQ as we continue to work with the Commonwealth to determine whether there are opportunities to vaccinate all students who wish to be vaccinated before the end of the spring semester.

The numbers are encouraging. We have also seen active cases drop and are continuing our robust testing protocols. We are six weeks away from Commencement weekend. I look forward to crossing the finish line Healthy Together!

COVID-19 & Spring Break Update

April 2, 2021

Dear William & Mary Community,

As we head into what will be a holiday weekend for many, followed by two spring break days mid-week, we write to share information with you on the COVID-19 outlook on campus and new guidelines for faculty, staff and students who have been fully vaccinated.

COVID-19 Update & Outlook

W&M’s active COVID cases among students have declined slightly this week with 87 active cases as of this morning, down from a peak of 111 on Monday.
Active cases among W&M employees and affiliates have increased from four to nine.
- We sincerely appreciate the relentless work of the quarantine & isolation housing staff and others supporting our Health Logistics Squad.
- We also want to give a special shout-out to other faculty and staff who have volunteered to support meal delivery to our students in quarantine and isolation at Richmond Hall. Your help has provided needed reinforcement to a weary team!

The expanded testing of off-campus students who live within 30 miles of campus began this past Monday.
Chick-fil-A closed Tuesday after at least one employee tested positive for COVID-19. Originally planning to reopen with modified hours on April 5, Chick-fil-A will now remain closed through Sunday, April 11, to allow affected employees to isolate and quarantine. Normal hours will resume Monday, April 12.
Now that spring is here, the Historic Triangle is experiencing increased density in both indoor and outdoor public spaces. As a reminder, the Healthy Together Community Commitment extends past campus borders. We all affirmed that we would follow safe practices of masking, social distancing and hygiene to support “living, learning, gathering and working on campus and in the Williamsburg community.”

Spring Break Days and Next Round of Student Census Testing

As we noted last week, W&M recommends that community members continue to refrain from high-risk activities, including traveling. If you must travel, please refer to the CDC guidelines, which may include quarantining when you return. If you are unable to quarantine, double-down on protecting yourself and others! Wear a mask, remain appropriately distant and practice good hand hygiene.
Of course, you need not travel! On Tuesday, April 6, enjoy over nine hours of fun wellness activities with “Wellness Your Way.” Options include boating on Lake Matoaka, running in a 5K, wandering in the wilderness, practicing yoga at sunset and black light dancing or cycling.
As a reminder to faculty, Spring Break days are to be respected as true respite days for students. It is absolutely critical that you do not schedule major exams, essays or other work the day after a scheduled break day.
The next round of census COVID-19 testing for all students within a 30-mile radius of campus will begin on Wednesday, April 14.
If you test positive for COVID-19 or believe you are a close contact, you must visit ReportCOVID to work with a case manager on next steps and contact tracing. In addition to the service case managers provide for the person reporting, they are also vital in helping contain COVID-19 in the W&M community through rapid contact tracing and arranging isolation and quarantine.

Announcing Changes for Fully Vaccinated Faculty, Staff and Students

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention consider someone fully vaccinated two weeks after they have received their final dose of a one- or two-shot COVID-19 vaccine.
Consistent with the CDC’s guidelines for fully vaccinated people, William & Mary is exempting fully vaccinated faculty, staff and students from two requirements:
- Participation in prevalence testing
- Quarantine if identified as a close contact and asymptomatic
To be exempted, you must upload photos of the vaccination card you received when you received a COVID-19 vaccine. Kallaco Health & Technology has introduced the ability to upload proof-of-vaccination in the Kallaco portal.
- If you do not have a Kallaco account, create one by choosing “Forgot Password,” and do not use your W&M password.
- Visit the Records section of the Kallaco portal and follow the prompts to upload a photo of your vaccination card. You must complete this upload process for each vaccine dose on your card.
- Note that this is separate from the Banner Self-Service vaccine survey referenced in the next section.

Additional Vaccine Information

Good news on the vaccine front: Gov. Ralph Northam announced yesterday that COVID-19 vaccinations will be available to anyone 16 or older by April 18.
- If you wish to be vaccinated and have not done so already, you should pre-register with the Virginia Department of Health.
In addition, as William & Mary continues to facilitate vaccines for our employees as slots become available in area clinics, you should also fill out the vaccination questionnaire under the Personal Information tab in Banner Self-Service. This two-question survey allows William & Mary to identify those still needing to be vaccinated.
Conversely, if you’ve already been vaccinated, please also fill out the questionnaire in Banner so W&M staff members aren’t trying to procure an appointment for you that they could be giving to someone who needs it!
Even if you have been fully vaccinated, you will be expected to continue practices that help protect others in the community. Please continue to wear a mask, practice physical distancing and good hand hygiene. It is still unclear whether vaccinated people can spread the virus, and people who are vaccinated bear responsibility to protect those who have not yet been given the opportunity.

We hope this weekend and next week’s Spring Break days are restful and offer the opportunity to rejuvenate mid-semester.

Be well,

Amy Sebring
COVID-19 Director and COO

Ginger Ambler
Vice President for Student Affairs

Addressing Increased COVID-19 Cases

March 26, 2021

Dear William & Mary Community,

We have a number of updates for you today regarding the census testing currently underway, the planned response, mitigation measures for all of us to adopt and a forecast for the next few weeks.

Student Census COVID-19 Testing: Results

Today’s results confirmed continued increases in the number of students testing positive, with the final batch of results expected over the weekend.
We do not expect to exceed 2% in positivity rate, but the Public Health Advisory Team is also focused on the rate of increase, which can grow quickly.
Data suggest that for every one person with COVID-19, two more become infected.
In a close community, numbers can quickly swell, a situation we’ve witnessed on other campuses but very much need to avoid at William & Mary in order to prevent large-scale operational changes mid-semester.
The overwhelming majority (roughly 80%) of these cases are occurring in students who live off campus.

Public Health Response: Targeting COVID-19

Over the next few weeks, all students who live off campus but within 30 miles of the university will be tested twice. This will help detect COVID-19 in students who have been in close contact very recently and help W&M stop the spread.
Because the majority of COVID-19 cases involve students living off campus, the Public Health Advisory (PHAT) and COVID-19 Response (CRT) teams are not currently recommending additional restrictions on W&M’s in-person learning, dining, housing, university-sponsored events or activities, including athletics.
As noted in the university’s message yesterday, W&M continues to plan for a modified, in-person commencement contingent, of course, upon the COVID-19 conditions on campus and in the region at the time.

Your Role in Identifying COVID-19

We’ve had an increase in students who are reporting that they had symptoms of COVID-19 prior to receiving their positive tests results, but had mistakenly assumed that their symptoms were due to seasonal allergies.
If you are experiencing symptoms, we ask all students to check-in with the Student Health Center and employees to consult with their health care providers.
Additional undergraduate Spring Break days are scheduled for April 6-7. We continue to encourage students not to travel during the semester. If you must travel, you should plan to quarantine for five days upon your return.
If you test positive for COVID-19 or are a close contact, you are required to visit ReportCOVID to be linked up with a case manager to help navigate quarantine or isolation, study, teaching and employment. This is mandatory for students under the Healthy Together Community Commitment; it is not optional.

Mitigation Measures: How to Help

For students living off campus, here are some ways you can actively reduce the spread of COVID-19:
- Limit your social activities to those in your household. We have seen lower spread for students living on campus, in part because they are not visiting students in other dorms or on-campus housing.
- If you must visit with others outside of your household, do so outside, physically distanced and with masks. Avoid situations where you are eating or drinking with others who are not in your pod.
- Keep in-person social gatherings to a few close friends to limit the number of people who might be exposed should you become sick.

Forecast: Looking to the Future

Prior to the recent uptick in cases, CRT and PHAT had been working on a plan to reduce restrictions at William & Mary in alignment with the governor’s recent guidelines, beginning April 1. Because of the increased case counts this week, this is no longer the target date. All current protocols will remain in place until we see a significant and sustained decrease in positive cases.
We hope to allow Recognized Student Organizations greater freedom in meetings and activities in the coming weeks, if COVID-19 cases and the number of close contacts decrease sufficiently.
The ability of our graduating students to convene in person for Commencement also depends on the university’s public health position in the near-term.

This is a pivotal moment in the semester. The next two weeks will be critical in charting our course through April and May. Continue to wear your mask, wash your hands and resist the urge to gather closely or in large groups. We have the utmost confidence in the W&M community and our ability to respond compassionately and appropriately.

Be well,

Amy Sebring
COVID-19 Director and COO

Ginger Ambler
Vice President for Student Affairs

COVID-19 Census Testing Update

March 25, 2021

Dear W&M Community,

William & Mary is undergoing a round of census COVID-19 testing of all students living on campus and in the vicinity. With roughly a third of results received, the university has seen a significant uptick in positives within the student population. We continue to update the COVID-19 dashboard to reflect current results every weekday. We anticipate this number to grow as additional results are returned, which is why we are contacting you today.

The COVID-19 Response and Public Health Advisory teams are evaluating what, if any, operational adjustments need to be made to slow the rate of increase and help protect the health of students, faculty and staff members. More information will be forthcoming. Current data suggest that the increase in cases is attributable to off-campus activities associated with St. Patrick’s Day as mentioned in Tuesday’s message, with subsequent social interactions since that time. There is no evidence that in-person academic activities are involved.

As we noted earlier this week, now is not the time to let up. We need each member of the community to recommit to our Healthy Together guidelines so we can finish the semester strong. We must do all we can to take care of each other, and that includes following our guidelines on and off campus. We must reset to the actions that led to our success.

This week’s news and our response emphasize why W&M conducts weekly prevalence testing augmented with regular rounds of census testing; the university is actively seeking positive cases of COVID-19 in order to mitigate the effects of the ongoing pandemic. W&M’s case management and quarantine & isolation housing programs are robust and have adequate capacity to help ensure that affected students receive the healthcare they need and continue their studies remotely until they are able to resume in person.

We ask every member of our community to be vigilant in your daily practices of masking, maintaining appropriate physical distance and washing your hands. A year into pandemic, we know how best to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Now is not the time to relax.

Be safe,

Ginger Ambler
Vice President for Student Affairs

Amy S. Sebring
COVID-19 Director and Chief Operating Officer

Updates & Highlights From COO Amy Sebring

March 23, 2021

Dear William & Mary Community,

We’ve come so far over the past year as a community, establishing shared norms and following guidelines that have allowed us to successfully advance our mission. That is why today I write with an important reminder about remaining vigilant in our commitment to each other.

Over the last week we’ve seen a significant uptick in active student cases and close contacts. Many of those new cases are the direct result of off-campus social events around St. Patrick’s Day -- one of our designated spring break days. In addition to the rise in cases, we are seeing an alarming pattern of students not readily identifying close contacts, which is limiting our ability to provide a comprehensive public health response. As a reminder, part of our Healthy Together commitment is taking responsibility for our individual actions.

In addition, there is evidence that students are coordinating testing independently and may be testing too soon after a close contact to detect viral load, thus providing a false sense of security while the virus incubates. COVID-19 case managers, in coordination with the Student Health Center, can provide guidance around quarantine and testing timelines to make sure that we are identifying positive cases and limiting campus spread.

We have done so well over the past year and now is not the time to let up!

Even with More Vaccines, It’s Not Yet Over

The recent increase in cases mirrors what we’ve seen at other campuses and in vacation destinations as we’ve grown weary of public health protocols.

As members of the community begin to be vaccinated, the changing patterns of behavior also reflect that individually we are at different stages in this pandemic. And yet the CDC guidance remains crystal clear on its COVID-19 homepage: “Keep it up!” Even if you are fully vaccinated, there are important caveats to keep in mind:
- You can still get infected. The vaccines prevent serious illness and hospitalization, but they do not ensure you won’t get COVID-19.
- You may be a carrier to others. Even if you don’t get sick, science has not yet determined whether you have the ability to transmit the virus to others.

Census Testing: Next Round to Inform April Actions

Fortunately, we had already planned to begin another round of census testing for students this week. We expect to have most results by the end of the week.

Following guidance from the Public Health Advisory Team, William & Mary will analyze the results from this round of census testing and use it to inform our plans as we move into April.
I recognize that we are all ready to get back to a more normal way of living, but public health must remain at the forefront of these decisions as we study, learn and work together.

Vaccine Eligibility: Update on Phase Classifications

We’ve received a number of inquiries on student vaccinations and vaccine classification.

On-campus housing does not qualify students under the 1B vaccination schedule. Although the CDC has provided guidance around health precautions for those living in congregate settings, including dormitories, the Virginia Department of Health does not consider people living in residence halls as eligible for Phase 1B. VDH includes correctional facilities, homeless shelters and migrant labor camps to be part of 1B, not students living in residence halls.
This means that if you are a student who wishes to sign up for a vaccine, you should not indicate that you are in phase 1B unless you have an underlying health condition that makes you eligible, or meet any of the other 1B designations.
If you have not yet been vaccinated, William & Mary continues working with our regional clinics as vaccines are identified for major employers in the area. Those clinics are also continuing to pull directly from the VDH pre-registration list to offer vaccines based on eligibility criteria.
We are also continuing to discuss the needs for student vaccines with state leaders in health and education.
If you are invited by W&M, the Commonwealth or a clinic to a vaccination appointment based on your eligibility, it is critical that you do not extend the invitation to others. Sharing the link can create vaccine shortages at the clinic and affect the university’s ability to extend vaccination appointments to others in the W&M community.

Voluntary Vaccine Portal Update

We are asking faculty, students and staff voluntarily to provide information on their vaccine status.

For faculty and staff, after receiving some initial reports last week that the webpage was not loading, we have fixed the issue so that everyone should now be able to enter their information. Please respond by updating your personal information in Banner Self-Service.
Your responses will assist W&M in helping as many members of our community who wish to get vaccinated do so as quickly as possible.
In addition, updating your status once you have been vaccinated will allow the Public Health Advisory Team to aggregate the data and evaluate the level of vaccination in the W&M community as we make plans for the fall.
For students, W&M has added a vaccine status question in the personal info questionnaire, identical to the question added for faculty and staff. Students can voluntarily update W&M on their vaccine status and their desire to be vaccinated.
If we are able to gather reliable data, we would like to provide vaccination-rate data on the COVID-19 dashboard. The survey helps us present accurately.

Public Health Advisory Team Update on Variants

The Public Health Advisory Team’s weekly Epi Update, by W&M epidemiologists Carrie Dolan and Iyabo Obasanjo, discusses COVID-19 variants. The upshot: variants do not make people more sick, but they are more easily transmitted. Rising variant cases are one reason we continue to require masking and social distancing when we are together.

Thank you for remaining committed to staying healthy together.

Sincerely,

Amy S. Sebring
COVID-19 Director and Chief Operating Officer

Important Information on W&M Summer 2021 and a Preview of Fall

March 18, 2021

Dear W&M Community,

We know that our students, faculty and staff are beginning to plan for the summer – and that students are registering for summer and fall classes. With both planning needs in mind, this email includes details about the summer and a brief preview of the fall. As we look to summer, given the current public health landscape, we find ourselves still faced with having to maintain COVID-19 protocols as long as many of our community members remain un-vaccinated and we have students living on campus. So, with that, we have determined that our summer academic offerings will be largely remote with very limited on-campus housing.

Why Summer 2021 Continues to Be Different

For over a year, W&M staff have worked tirelessly to create and support an environment responsive to the public health demands of a pandemic. More than 100 employees across Student Affairs, University Operations, W&M Athletics, University Advancement and Strategic Initiatives have supported case management, quarantine & isolation, testing and vaccine coordination. Many have routinely worked six or seven days a week, with virtually no scheduled time off during that period. Even during the winter break, while most at W&M were rejuvenating, we had a core team that continued to work every day. Their dedication has been nothing short of remarkable, but it has come at a cost. We recognize that those staff need a break and time to focus on the 2021-2022 academic year that we intend to be fully in person if the public health conditions allow.

Also, we were unable to address routine cleaning and deferred maintenance in our buildings during Summer 2020, so we will use the summer months to refresh our facilities to be fully open in the fall.

Summer Academic Offerings

Courses will be fully remote with the exception of a small number of in-person graduate and professional programs that do not require on-campus housing. Summer registration for undergraduates opens at 8 a.m. on Monday, March 22, with registration for graduate programs being staggered through March and April. For more information, visit Summer 2021 Registration.

A robust summer has been programmed, including expanded academic offerings and jumpstart programs. In addition to the traditional two 5-week sessions, the university has added a 10-week option as well as non-standard “short courses.” For the first time, W&M is offering both COLL 100 and COLL 150 courses that allow freshmen who started in spring to complete their first-year courses and begin as sophomores in the fall. Additionally, financial aid packages, including Pell Grants, have been amended to provide for summer programs.

Finally, the Jump-Start Data Science Summer Program will again be offered, and joined by the exciting new Esports Level Up program.

No Student Housing & Dining Services

On-campus housing will not be available for students this summer. Residence Life will be in touch with Tribe Square residents to accommodate their summer housing needs. Consistent with our standard fall move-in, we are working with a number of university units, including the Reves Center and Athletics, on fall pre-arrival requirements for groups of students who need to be on campus prior to standard move-in dates in late August. Consistent with the general reset of activities in advance of the fall, Dining Services will not operate this summer at William & Mary.

Undergraduate Summer Research

Undergraduate summer research opportunities will be structured primarily around remote initiatives, as on-campus summer housing will not be available. Limited undergraduate student research opportunities on campus may be available for students who live locally or plan to live off campus. Coordination of these activities may be arranged with advisors and faculty mentors in departments or programs. Other opportunities for off-campus residents may be available through the Charles Center.

Other Summer Activities

At this point, we remain focused on maintaining campus operations for W&M students, faculty and staff. We will not offer summer camps or other summer conferences and events typically offered prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. We are looking at the potential to open some non-residential facilities to the general public later in the summer as public health conditions allow. We will continue to update the community in the coming weeks.

Summer Work Expectations for Faculty and Staff

Over the next several weeks, the President’s Cabinet will be discussing the university’s needs as we move toward a fall semester anticipated to be largely in person. We recognize that many employees will need to begin shifting from working primarily in a remote or blended manner so that they are prepared for the start of the fall semester. We will provide additional guidance for managers and supervisors later this spring.

COVID-19 Protocols for Summer

At this time, we anticipate that we will continue requiring face masks and physical distancing, along with other precautions intended to reduce the spread of COVID-19. With guidance from the Public Health Advisory Team, we will update guidelines as we get more information from the CDC and VDH about mitigation strategies and the status of vaccinations. In addition, given that most of our summer activities will be remote, we will provide limited prevalence testing for those remaining on campus and case management for positive cases. We will not offer quarantine and isolation housing; those staff members will have the summer to focus on preparing for the fall.

Fall Preview

We currently expect that improved public health conditions will allow W&M to resume in-person operations in the fall, with appropriate public health protocols. We will be communicating more details about how we anticipate returning to campus in the next few weeks.

Sincerely,

Peggy Agouris, Provost
Ginger Ambler, Vice President for Student Affairs
Amy Sebring, Chief Operating Officer and COVID-19 Director

Updates & Highlights From COO Amy Sebring

March 16, 2021

Dear William & Mary Community,

Here are this week’s updates as they relate to testing, mask compliance, outdoor activities, study space and vaccine information:

COVID-19 Testing & Masking: Remain Diligent

We continue to experience low positivity rates for COVID-19 at W&M. Your hard work and commitment to keeping this community healthy are paying off.
While these COVID-19 rates have remained low, we are seeing early reports of reductions in mask-wearing across campus. Remember it is a part of the Healthy Together Community Commitment to wear a mask:
- In all indoor spaces (unless in your own room)
- Outdoors (unless an uninterrupted 6-foot distance can be maintained between you and others for the continuous duration of an activity), and
- In vehicles when traveling with other people.
The advice from our Public Health Advisory Team is unchanged: mask-wearing remains the single most important measure for reducing transmission of COVID-19.
Unfortunately, we have seen a recent surge in cases at some nearby campuses in Virginia and in neighboring states. It is important that we remain diligent in our efforts to limit spread at W&M.

Outside Gatherings: Increased Opportunities to Be Together

I have heard from several sources, including survey responses from students and families, about a desire for even more opportunities to socialize safely. With the weather gradually turning warmer, we should all be looking for opportunities to do more outside.
- Consistent with the governor’s recent guidance on outdoor sporting events, W&M will be hosting three home football games over the next several weeks. We have appropriate protocols in place that allow a limited number of students and other W&M guests to attend the games in Zable Stadium. Attendees are expected to socially distance and follow all other COVID-19 safety precautions, so this can be a great opportunity for members of the community to support our student-athletes. For more information, visit W&M Football.
- Though indoor and outdoor social gatherings at W&M will continue to be limited to 10 people, university-sponsored or university-approved outdoor events can now extend to 25 people, per the Commonwealth of Virginia.
- With improving weather, we should all head outside for some fresh air, remembering to maintain appropriate distances and wearing masks to the extent possible.

Open Study Spaces: ISC Reopening After Hours

I’ve heard from a number of students since we closed access to ISC after hours. Clearly, ISC is a popular location for studying, and the loss of that space placed greater demand on other study spaces. Fortunately, we did not see an uptick in eating in other study spaces, so we have decided to re-open ISC with card access after-hours effective Thursday, March 18.
Please note that students are still not permitted to eat in any classroom building. If eating in ISC becomes a problem again, we will close after-hours access to the building for the remainder of the semester. I ask that everyone refrain from eating in study spaces so that we are able to keep ISC open.

W&M Dining Services: Expanded Hours and Options

At the request of a number of students, we are expanding dining services.
As of March 28, W&M Dining Services is extending hours for the remainder of the semester at several locations:
- Dinner at Commons (The Caf) will be extended from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday – Thursday.
- Sadler Express will open two hours early on Sundays at 3 p.m. Made-to-order pasta dishes and the Simply to Go grab-and-go items will be available for a meal swipe.
- Late Night at Sadler will return during finals from 9 p.m. to midnight, May 9– 13, May 16 and May 17.
Additionally, the Simply to Go offerings in the Tribe Market and Student Xchange have been expanded to provide students with a grab-and-go meal swipe option until 10 p.m. FoodTruck Fridays, currently located at Lemon and Hardy halls, will continue with special menus created by the W&M Catering team and are available for a meal swipe. Follow @wmdining on Facebook and Instagram for the latest menu and special event information. Faculty and staff are welcome to sign up to the monthly dining email that students receive.

Census Testing: Next Round to Inform April Actions

We continue to receive requests for additional work activities or social gatherings. I know we are all anxious to get back to many of the activities we enjoyed prior to the pandemic and to start some new traditions.
As tempting as it is to drop our guard, we don’t have to look far to see surging cases on campuses or in areas that have become less diligent.
The Public Health Advisory Team (PHAT) has recommended we stay the course. We will re-evaluate additional changes after W&M completes its next round of student census testing, beginning March 22. Results from that round of testing will help inform our plans as we move into April.

Vaccine Update: Helping Speed Inoculation in Our Community

In addition to our ongoing work with the Williamsburg-James City County vaccine clinic, we are now also working with the clinic administration at Christopher Newport University. Close to 100 W&M employees received vaccines there on Friday and we hope to be able to invite more faculty and staff in the coming weeks.
- If you are contacted via W&M Healthy Together to schedule a vaccination appointment through W&M, you must not forward the email or scheduling link. W&M is given specific slots for faculty and staff members on lists submitted in advance.
- Last week, we were informed that some at W&M forwarded their vaccine link to others. This action jeopardizes our clinic partnerships and our compliance with VDH phasing guidelines. Most importantly, it jeopardizes our ability to ensure that our most vulnerable faculty and staff members are vaccinated as soon as possible.
Faculty and staff also received an email from W&M Healthy Together last week with instructions to voluntarily update W&M on their vaccine status and their desire to be vaccinated. We heard from a number of you, but ask that if you intend to respond but have not, please do so by updating your personal information in Banner Self Service.
While it is not mandatory to report, your responses will assist W&M in helping as many members of our community who wish to get vaccinated do so as quickly as possible. In addition, updating your status once you have been vaccinated will contribute to the PHAT’s assessment of the virus in the W&M community and enable informed decision-making as we make plans for the fall.
We will launch a similar tool for students next week.

Thank you all for your continued support and commitment to keeping one another healthy.

Stay well,
Amy S. Sebring
COVID-19 Director and Chief Operating Officer

Updates & Highlights From COO Amy Sebring

March 9, 2021

Dear William & Mary Community,

Here are this week’s updates as they relate to the COVID-19 vaccine, testing and other efforts going on at William & Mary.

Survey from PHAT

W&M’s Public Health Advisory Team (PHAT) has asked IT to add a voluntary survey to the personal information tool in Banner Self-Service, asking all members of the W&M community to let us know about their vaccination plans. This feature will remain accessible so you can make status updates as you receive your vaccination(s). While it is not mandatory to report this information, your responses will assist W&M in helping as many members of our community who wish to get vaccinated do so as quickly as possible. Keep your eye out for an email from our Healthy Together team announcing the launch.

Vaccine Update

We can report great progress regarding vaccination opportunities for members of our community. Last week alone, we assisted over 500 people with getting their COVID-19 vaccination!
The COVID-19 Response Team and PHAT continue to work with the Williamsburg-James City County clinic to provide vaccines to our 1B employees. In the coming weeks, we may be able to partner with other clinics in the region to expand opportunities for vaccines to additional faculty and staff.
We also know that some in our community are being directly contacted by VDH and their local health districts. The local clinics continue to work with W&M as one of the region’s major employers. VDH and the Peninsula Health District notify those clinics when vaccines can be allocated for W&M. We will continue providing information for employees who qualify in each phase, but as vaccine supply improves, it is increasingly likely that you will be contacted directly by VDH.
I recognize that the uneven rollout of the vaccine has been confusing and frustrating. I want to reiterate that the vaccine landscape is ever-changing. W&M is working in every way possible to make sure that we are providing our community with the latest information, and we appreciate your patience and understanding as we do so.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week issued new guidance for individuals who have been fully vaccinated. All of William & Mary’s COVID-19 policies remain in effect; we do not yet have enough of a critical mass of fully vaccinated students, faculty or staff to adjust our operations.
If you are interested in getting vaccinated and are contacted by either W&M or VDH, please respond. The state database will be updated as you are vaccinated and your updates in Banner Self-Service will ensure that we are updated as well.
If you are contacted and wish to be vaccinated, please schedule your appointment. The faster we get the community vaccinated, the better!

Census Results & Testing

We continue to see great results in our prevalence and wastewater testing. Last week, we tested over 1,000 students and employees distributed across three different labs. We’ve received all but about two dozen test results and have had NO new positives reported. The results are truly astounding.
Likewise, we continue to see levels of the virus drop in our wastewater testing, providing additional reassurance in the trends.
This low positivity rate is entirely due to your commitment to following health and safety precautions.

It is not lost on me that the reason William & Mary is able to remain open throughout the pandemic is directly linked to our community’s ability to remain compassionate and caring. The Healthy Together Community Commitment is a reflection that we have a shared responsibility to one another. Time and time again, we have come together to prove that we are a resilient, and now even stronger, W&M community.

Sincerely,
Amy S. Sebring
COVID-19 Director and Chief Operating Officer

Updates and Highlights from COO Amy Sebring

March 4, 2021

Dear William & Mary Community,

This week we close in on a full year of living with the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S., an anniversary that is prompting reflection and grief on top of “pandemic fatigue.” We’ve learned so much in the past year, but experts rightly remind us that knowledge alone won’t protect anyone unless it translates into the right actions. At William & Mary, that means steadfastly maintaining our Healthy Together Community Commitment (HTCC). Relying on the good habits and norms we’ve established over the past year is what will get us through.

Reminders

Visit ReportCOVID if you have COVID-19 symptoms, have tested positive or are a close contact. For students especially, it’s critical that W&M helps coordinate your isolation or quarantine, and identify others who might have been in close contact. It is the job of W&M case managers and medical staff to coordinate these efforts; don’t feel it’s necessary or appropriate to take it on yourself.
Do not eat or drink in classrooms during the day or after hours. Water bottles are OK. See the next point for an important update on ISC.
If you witness HTCC violations or unsafe behavior, we encourage you — whether student, faculty or staff member — to address it promptly. Reinforce the HTCC expectations in a manner that doesn’t shame the individual, but underscores our collective responsibility to one another. Last fall, the COVID-19 Response Team released a video that offers useful tips on having these conversations; find How Courage Keeps Us Healthy Together on W&M’s YouTube channel.

ISC Closed for After-Hours Study

Unfortunately, we have fielded too many complaints about eating in the Integrated Science Center, so beginning today, W&M is closing the ISC to after-hours study access. Scheduled classes will continue, but students will no longer be able to swipe in to study in open classrooms at night. We will continue to evaluate the use of the other classrooms as needed. With temperatures improving, eating outdoors will become much more appealing over the next few weeks.

Vaccine Update

Increasingly, the local COVID-19 vaccine clinic is relying on the statewide registration system, rather than employers such as William & Mary, to coordinate booking. W&M remains engaged with the clinic administration and continues to help coordinate vaccination opportunities for our 1B faculty and staff members when there are “extra slots” or unanticipated increases in vaccine supply. In addition to appointments scheduled directly by VDH, W&M was able to help coordinate about 650 unanticipated first-dose appointments for employees meeting work or age requirements for Phase 1B. In order to ensure that you are notified as soon as possible, please register with Vaccinate Virginia if you wish to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

If you are contacted by the Virginia Department of Health or W&M about a COVID-19 vaccine appointment, we encourage you to get vaccinated. Please do not forward the appointment emails or texts to others; their appointments will be canceled and their attempts to register interfere with the commonwealth’s vaccination cadence.

Census Results & Testing

Some great news this week: After the weather-related shipping delays, we received results from the on-campus student census testing conducted last week. Of 5,998 tests, only 13 returned positive. All but four of those cases were already known – in the case management system as symptomatic or close contacts.

Due to the shipping delays, the Public Health Advisory Team (PHAT) is confirming the low student infection rate this week through a heavier-than-normal round of prevalence testing, which is in progress. We are also piloting a new system for testing that uses student mailboxes and a drop-site for saliva tests. So far, that is proving successful and convenient for students.

Governor’s Orders

As you may have noted, last week Gov. Ralph Northam loosened some restrictions in Virginia. The Public Health Advisory Team is considering how William & Mary should appropriately respond, as the Virginia Department of Health continues to signal concern about the potential of community spread on college campuses.

Through March, PHAT has advised that we not ease restrictions at W&M. The factors guiding our epidemiologists’ thinking are explained further in their weekly Epi Update: Local COVID-19 rates always lag behind state rates, which trail national rates, so they want to ensure that local and W&M-specific rates of infection remain low enough over time that they are unlikely to reverse. PHAT will continue to evaluate throughout the month and is considering some changes for April.

It has been a challenging year. We are so proud of the work and commitment shown by all of our students, faculty and staff members, affirming William & Mary as an incredibly caring community in which to study and work.

Sincerely,

Amy S. Sebring

COVID-19 Director and Chief Operating Officer

Updates and Highlights from COO Amy Sebring

February 23, 2021

Dear William & Mary Community,

I’m happy to report that this week I am light on updates. That said, I do have a few items related to vaccinations and masking that I’d like to share.

Vaccination Information

Virginia has launched a statewide registration system for COVID-19 vaccinations. All faculty, staff and students interested in receiving the vaccine should register in the state system. If you have registered previously with the local health district and/or if William & Mary has previously included you in its list of Phase 1A or Phase 1B employees, the website allows you to check if you are already in the database and if not, to register.
Please check your registration status even if you have already received your first dose. W&M continues to work with vaccine clinic administration at the Colonial Williamsburg Visitors Center on vaccine coordination. As vaccines become available at more locations, however, it will be beneficial to be registered in the statewide database, so please be sure to register yourself and any loved ones in order to be in the system as soon as possible.

Federal Mask Study

W&M is participating in the CDC’s Mask Adherence Observation Study. Student volunteers are working with principal investigator Dr. Carrie Dolan, W&M epidemiologist and director of Ignite Global Health, to collect 400 observations per week on campus mask use and compliance. The first week of results is impressive, with 97% of our campus community wearing masks at the observation sites. For more information on this study and COVID-19 cases, please see the weekly public health online update.

Reminder: No Food or Drink in Classrooms

As a reminder, food and drinks are not permitted in classrooms or academic buildings. Last week, we heard reports of students eating after-hours in those spaces. If we continue to see evidence of food and drink in those areas, we will reassess whether those spaces should remain available for studying and small group work during evenings and weekends.

Special Thanks

A shout out this week goes to the folks in Athletics who have been transporting COVID-19 tests for people in quarantine to VCU Health in Richmond. With the country-wide weather conditions shutting down central hubs for shipping, our general census testing capabilities slowed, but the people in Athletics have been going the extra mile (literally) to make sure those in quarantine are receiving their test results.

Sincerely,

Amy S. Sebring

COVID-19 Director and Chief Operating Officer

Updates and Highlights from COO Amy Sebring

February 16, 2021

Dear William & Mary Community,

We knew this semester would be different. So, today, I write in that context of what’s different as we look at COVID-19 cases in the W&M community and new trends in close contacts. I also provide a brief update on vaccines and a new statewide registration process.

What’s different with COVID-19 Cases this semester?

We started in a different position. We opened the semester amidst record-high COVID-19 cases in the region, state and nation. Through pre-arrival testing, we identified students and employees who were positive prior to returning to campus. As expected in both cases, the number of pre-arrival positives is higher than what we experienced in the fall.

For those who returned to campus, we have also seen a higher number of positive cases. As of this morning, we have had a total of 100. That’s 100 students who have tested positive for COVID-19 since we began tracking in early January. Likewise, we’ve had 11 total campus employee positives over the same time period. Fortunately, the number of active positives -- those who tested positive in the last 10 days and remain in isolation -- is much lower: 28 active student positives and two active employee positives. The numbers are trending in the right direction, as noted in the Public Health Advisory Team’s online update.

Although the trend is encouraging, the next few weeks are critical to putting us on a path to success again this spring. In the fall, we started with low positivity rates and maintained them. This semester, our numbers began higher. If we are diligent, we expect that we will once again be able to keep transmission low. If we relax too soon, we face a semester that will be much more challenging.

What’s different about close contacts?

The student cases we’ve seen this spring have more close contacts and close contacts are more often testing positive. In the fall, students that were quarantined as close contacts often did not catch the virus.

This semester, we are seeing a higher number of close contacts test positive after the incubation period. So today I want to focus on what it means to be a close contact and what the potential implications are for a close contact who later tests positive for COVID-19.

What is a close contact? The CDC defines a close contact as someone who was “within six feet of an infected person for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period.” Close contacts are those who come in contact within two days prior to someone testing positive or exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19.
What happens if I am a close contact? If you are a close contact, you must quarantine for 10 days. If you live on campus, you will quarantine at Richmond Hall or the Woodlands (local hotel).
What if I feel okay during my quarantine? If you are asymptomatic, you will be tested after seven days, and if you do not develop symptoms you can return to normal activities after 10 days.
What if I test positive while in quarantine? If you test positive at Day 7, the clock starts over for isolation. You will be required to isolate for a minimum of 10 days and can only return to normal activity if you are not experiencing any symptoms at the end of those 10 days. So, even if you are asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic, that means that you will be restricted from your normal activities for a total of 17 days. Of course, if you get sick, it may take you considerably longer before you feel well.

I provide this timeline not as a scare tactic, but for information. One of the attributes that makes W&M a special place to learn, live and work is the care that we have for those in the community. None of us wants to be the one that puts our friends and colleagues in a position that requires them to be out of circulation for 17 days. As we each make decisions in our daily activities, we should be asking ourselves, “Is this activity important enough that I’m willing to potentially be sidelined for 17 days in quarantine and isolation? Is this activity important enough that I’m willing to be responsible for someone else having to do the same?”

These are tough questions. But there are good answers:

When you’re in person, commit to limiting your close contacts to no more than two, three or four people routinely -- that means that you should eat, socialize and study with the same small group of people whenever possible. When you are together, continue to wear a mask (see updated recommendations from the CDC), maintain appropriate distance and wash your hands.
Look for opportunities to engage more broadly with friends and colleagues through virtual events, gatherings and exchanges. Remaining connected to the community is important and doing so in ways that reduce close contacts will accelerate our opportunities to be together in person as a community again.

Vaccines

Late last week, the Commonwealth of Virginia announced that it would be launching a statewide registration system that would bring together information previously held by each health district. If you have already registered with the Peninsula Health District or other local health district, you do not need to register again. If you have not yet registered and would like to be vaccinated, please visit the VDH COVID-19 vaccine page this week as the registration system is launched. W&M continues to work with vaccine clinic administration at the Colonial Williamsburg Visitors Center to notify them of employees that meet the criteria for Phase 1B. As vaccines become available at more locations, however, it may be beneficial to be registered in the statewide database.

Special Thanks

I’d like to give a shout out to the facilities maintenance staff in groundskeeping, building services, and operations and maintenance that have worked for the last two weekends to remove snow and ice from campus. They, along with the W&M Police Department and those in emergency management, are dedicated to providing a safe environment for W&M students, faculty and staff no matter what the weather!

Financial Update on the Horizon

My last few updates -- including today’s -- have focused on COVID-19 in an effort to provide information in a timely manner as conditions continue to evolve. In the coming weeks, I will also provide a financial update to campus now that we are well past the halfway mark of the fiscal year and are beginning to develop projections for FY22 in light of ongoing discussions with the Board of Visitors and pending actions by the General Assembly.

Sincerely,

Amy S. Sebring

COVID-19 Director and Chief Operating Officer

Updates and Highlights from COO Amy Sebring

February 9, 2021

Dear William & Mary Community,

Here are the important pieces of information to know as they relate to COVID-19 and university operations:

Vaccines: In response to Gov. Northam’s guidance that vaccine distribution should be allocated 50% to individuals qualifying under Phase 1B due to work responsibilities and 50% to individuals qualifying based on age, the local vaccine clinic administration asked William & Mary to add contact information for our employees who are over 65. In addition, the clinic administration expanded the definition of essential workers. As supply becomes available, the COVID-19 Response Team is working across all areas of campus to update that information to get as many people vaccinated as possible.

If you meet the expanded criteria, the university will ask you to provide a personal phone number to ensure we can reach you quickly. Although you are not required to provide a personal phone number, doing so will help to speed up the process of vaccinating our community, as vaccines may become available on short notice and you may be asked to sign up within a couple hours of the vaccination time.

As a reminder, if you believe that you are eligible for a vaccine under Phase 1B due to an underlying medical condition rather than work requirements or age, please go to your local health department’s website to register and consult with your healthcare provider. You may also want to consider registering with your pharmacy, as major chains like CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart expect to begin vaccinating customers in the coming weeks.

Regardless of where you get vaccinated, you will not be charged for the vaccine. Some locations may charge a fee to administer the vaccine, so you may want to check before you arrive. If you are vaccinated at the local clinic at the Colonial Williamsburg Visitors’ Center, there is no charge.

As we continue to push through the vaccination process, inevitably members of our community will get vaccinated at different times and from different locations. Although the lack of a clear process is frustrating, I want to reiterate that anyone being vaccinated has a positive impact on the rest of the community.

In addition, I want to remind those who have been vaccinated that W&M expects you will continue to uphold the Healthy Together Community Commitment. The vaccine protects the individual vaccinated, but the science is not yet clear on the level of protection it provides to others in close contact. Those vaccinated may still be carriers of the virus with the potential to infect others. So, continue wearing your mask, maintaining distance, washing your hands and engaging remotely with friends, family and colleagues when you are able.

Focusing on Science and Data: Over the past week, we have seen concerns circulating regarding possible outbreaks at different locations on campus. Throughout the pandemic, we have learned several key pieces of information, and one of these is that reliance on data and science will get us through this. The Public Health Advisory Team reviews daily -- often multiple times a day -- data from COVID-19 testing, ReportCOVID.wm.edu, case management reports and local, regional and national COVID-19 data. They use these data to look for patterns of transmission or other indicators that inform W&M’s operational decisions.

Although it is tempting to focus on fear and rumors, we continue to provide daily updates through the the COVID-19 Dashboard, which provides a high-level snapshot of key data points. In an effort to increase community awareness, the Public Health Advisory Team will begin providing periodic updates on its approach and process to assess the trends we are seeing. I will provide that information as part of my regular updates and we will post them online.

Even with that information, it is critical that each of us does our part. We rely on the community to make sure that we have up-to-date information. If you test positive whether through a test administered on campus or in the community, or are identified as a close contact, it is critical that you complete ReportCOVID.wm.edu. If you are concerned or have questions about others’ behaviors or activities, please fill out the COVID-19 Concerns form.

Healthy Together Community Commitment: Another reminder that all employees – faculty and staff – must reaffirm the HTCC through Cornerstone Learning no later than this Wednesday, February 10. Students have already completed that affirmation. For those of you working with vendors on campus, please reinforce the HTCC principles and the expectation that they adhere to our protocols at all times on campus. Sanctions for violating Healthy Together Community Commitments are being taken seriously and are enforced quickly.

Limited Return to Indoor Dining: With in-person classes resuming this week, we will also be providing limited indoor dining options to facilitate students grabbing meals before and after classes. Indoor dining will be limited to two people per table and all diners are encouraged to meet with roommates or others with whom they are already in close contact. Outdoor dining -- again with limited two per table gatherings -- or to-go dining in your residence or office remains the preferred option from a public health standpoint. If you do choose to eat indoors, please make sure that you continue to wear your mask when you are not actively eating and drinking, and that you limit your time in the dining spaces to the extent possible. For more information about dining locations and operations, visit the William & Mary Dining webpage

COVID-19 Testing: We resumed prevalence testing for students and employees the week of January 18. We will conduct full census testing of the student population living within 30 miles of campus beginning Thursday, February 11, with the bulk of the testing occurring the week of February 15. Students should look for additional information later this week. In addition, we will continue offering free at-will testing for W&M employees via VCU Health clinic at 332 N. Henry Street. Please go to the at-will testing portal to schedule an appointment if you’re interested.

In closing, I continue to marvel at the small wins that we are accomplishing together every day. So with that, I provide a quick shout-out to all of the staff who continue to support the COVID-19 Response Team’s Health Logistics squad, including those involved in testing logistics, vaccination rollout, wastewater testing, case management and quarantine and isolation housing. As a group, these individuals are working seven days a week, along with the Public Health Advisory Team, to monitor and adjust with a singular goal of continuing to be healthy together.

Sincerely,

Amy S. Sebring

COVID-19 Director and Chief Operating Officer

Updates & Highlights From COO Amy Sebring

February 2, 2021

Dear William & Mary Community,

As many of you are aware, I became director of W&M’s COVID-19 Response Team in December, in addition to maintaining my role as chief operations officer. With the fluidity of the public health landscape, I plan to provide you with periodic highlights related to COVID-19 developments as well as share brief updates related to university operations.

Important Updates:

Vaccines: W&M is working closely with the City of Williamsburg, the Peninsula Health District and the Three Rivers Health District (VIMS campus) to offer vaccines to employees, including student workers, who meet the criteria for Phase 1A or Phase 1B based on their current work responsibilities. Determination of eligibility rests with the Virginia Department of Health (VDH).

To date, we have been able to schedule vaccines for roughly 170 employees, with another 320 to be scheduled as soon as vaccines become available, potentially as early as this week. If you believe you are eligible to receive a vaccine in Phase 1A or Phase 1B due to non-work criteria (e.g., age or underlying health criteria), please go to your local health department’s website to register and consult with your healthcare provider. [Ed. note: In response to Gov. Northam’s guidance that vaccine distribution should be allocated equally under Phase 1B between work responsibilities and age, the local vaccine clinic administration asked William & Mary to add contact information for our employees who are over 65. See the Feb. 9 message for more information.]

Some may feel they should wait or may even feel guilty about the opportunity to receive the vaccine before other community or family members. It’s important to remember that anyone being vaccinated has a positive impact on the rest of the community. Each administered vaccine offers more protection to all of us.
Health Protocols: Given current vaccine supply, it is likely that our entire community may not be vaccinated until summer or even fall. With case levels high in the surrounding communities and the emergence of new variants nationally, it is critical that we be more vigilant than ever in wearing face masks, maintaining appropriate distance and washing our hands. We need to make sure not only that we are wearing a mask, but that we are wearing it over our mouth and nose at all times. We also need to be cognizant of those with whom we are in close contact and limit those number of close contacts routinely. All of the actions we are taking are intended to reduce close contacts on campus – whether indoors or outside. As much as we long to share a meal with one another or gather socially, adhering strictly to our health protocols now will ensure that our care systems are not overwhelmed and speed up our ability to gather together in the future.

Travel and Remote Work: W&M continues to restrict work-related travel to only essential trips that cannot be accomplished remotely or deferred to a later date. Following a work-related trip, employees are required to work remotely for five days before returning to in-person work.

Although the university cannot require remote work following personal travel, we encourage you to work remotely for five days after you return home if your work responsibilities allow for that. Please work with your supervisor to schedule your work accordingly.
Healthy Together Community Commitment: All employees – faculty and staff – must reaffirm the HTCC through Cornerstone Learning no later than February 10. Students have already completed that affirmation. For those of you working with vendors on campus, please reinforce the HTCC principles and the expectation that they adhere to our protocols at all times on campus.

COVID-19 Testing: Over the next week, we will complete our pre-arrival testing for students and employees in high-contact roles. We have begun weekly prevalence testing for employees and students; prevalence testing is mandatory if you are selected. In addition, we will continue offering free at-will testing for W&M employees via VCU Health at the clinic at 332 N. Henry Street. Please go to the at-will testing portal to schedule an appointment if you’re interested.

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Welcome and updates from CRT

January 25, 2021

Dear W&M students, faculty and staff,

Welcome back to the spring semester. As students return to W&M’s residence halls and campus activity increases, I write on behalf of the COVID-19 Response Team to reinforce practices that contributed to our success in the fall. This email also summarizes additional measures to mitigate COVID-19 at William & Mary this spring.

Coronavirus case numbers continue to surge nationally. The local and state landscapes are not much better. The Public Health Advisory Team continues to monitor health information daily, informing the university leadership as we operate under pandemic conditions.

One of the lessons we learned from the fall was that our shared commitment to protecting our community’s health allowed us keep positivity rates below that of other communities. So, under the current conditions, it is now more important than ever that we each maintain our diligence and support others in doing the same. Each student, faculty and staff member plays an important role in this effort. I’m confident we will build on the lessons we’ve learned and double-down on our health practices.

I have important updates in four areas today: Vaccinations, Reporting Violations and Concerns, After-hours Building Access, and the Healthy Together Community Commitment and Daily Health Check.

Vaccinations

Phase 1A and Phase 1B

William & Mary is working with local Virginia Department of Health districts to identify W&M and VIMS employees who have job responsibilities that qualify them for vaccination in Phase 1A or Phase 1B. Many of our employees with direct patient-care responsibilities – such as those working in the Student Health Center or in dedicated quarantine and isolation housing – qualify for Phase 1A distribution and have already received their first vaccination. Police and other essential workers are eligible for Phase 1B distribution and we are working to get them scheduled for vaccines. If you fall into one of those categories, you will be contacted directly with instructions on when you can schedule your vaccination, should you choose to be vaccinated.

We will continue providing information to the local health districts on employees meeting job-related criteria for 1A and 1B vaccinations as more vaccines become available through the health districts and the City of Williamsburg, with whom W&M is closely partnered in this effort.

Phase 1C and General Population

The majority of faculty and staff members, because they work in Virginia higher education, qualify for the 1C distribution schedule. At this time, the local health districts have not begun offering vaccines to individuals in Phase 1C. We anticipate most of our students will be vaccinated with the general population following Phase 1C. We have not yet received information on the timing of vaccinations for either Phase 1C or the general population. We will update you as we know more.

We recognize that students, faculty and staff who do not qualify for vaccinations at present due to their job responsibilities at W&M may have additional circumstances that qualify them for a different phase of distribution. For example, students, faculty or staff members with underlying medical conditions or meeting certain age criteria may qualify for the 1A or 1B distribution schedule. At this time, William & Mary, as an employer, has been asked to forward information to VDH for those with job functions that fit into the early phases of vaccination.

If you believe you qualify for Phase 1A or 1B due to your age or underlying medical condition(s), you should follow up with VDH and your physician or healthcare provider. VDH has launched a portal to assess your status and sign up for vaccination alerts at VDH COVID-19 Vaccination Response. Click “Find out which phase you are eligible for” to access the portal.

As vaccines become more widely available, we will continue to work with our regional partners to advocate for access for those W&M students, faculty and staff seeking to be vaccinated.

Vaccine Requirements

Because the current COVID-19 vaccines are being distributed under an Emergency Use Authorization from the FDA, they are not currently required of any faculty, staff or students. However, in the future, when the vaccines are approved beyond emergency use, they may be included among the other vaccinations the Commonwealth requires of students who attend W&M or for employees. W&M will continue working with state officials on those determinations as more information becomes available.

Reporting Violations and Mutual Respect

William & Mary continues to monitor the [[COVIDConcerns]] email address for reports of instances of unsafe behavior in our community. You should feel empowered, as a student, faculty or staff member, to report persistent concerns; the COVID-19 Response Team refers the reports to the appropriate academic, student or HR department or division for investigation, follow-up and action, including discipline.

Let me stress the importance of non-judgmental stances with respect to reporting and compliance. William & Mary community members must strive not to shame others as we create shared norms and habits. We all make honest mistakes as we continue to adjust to living, working and learning under pandemic conditions; many of these can be addressed on the spot with a respectful reminder of the community standard. When you think that won’t work, please don’t hesitate to ask a colleague or friend for thoughtful support or report the unsafe behavior.

After-Hours Building Access

Beginning Wednesday, Jan. 27, some academic buildings supporting Arts & Sciences will be accessible to all students, with swipe access, for evening study hours. Monday through Friday, select buildings will be accessible from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., and from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. [Weekend hours extended. -Ed.] Students may remain in the facilities until midnight, but will not be able to swipe in past 10 p.m. The William & Mary Police Department will periodically patrol the facilities during this time.

Tyler Hall
Tucker Hall
Morton Hall
Jones Hall
Integrated Science Center (except the third floor)
Blow Hall (third floor)
McGlothlin-Street Hall

Please note that not all spaces within a building will be available and that all university health and safety guidelines apply for after-hours use of these facilities. No food is to be brought in, ordered or consumed in these spaces. Masks that cover both nose and mouth are required, as is maintaining at least six feet of distance. Access to these spaces brings with it an obligation to sanitize the space when you come in and as you leave.

Healthy Together Community Commitment and Daily Health Check

W&M students are required to affirm their agreement to the Healthy Together Community Commitment again this spring. We are also requiring all faculty and staff to reaffirm the Health Together Community Commitment by watching a 10-minute video recapping the highlights from our video series this fall and again attesting to the commitment in Cornerstone no later than Wednesday, February 10. These will be available for faculty and staff in Cornerstone Learning no later than February 1; visit the “My Transcripts” tab to access the videos and agreement.

The Healthy Together Daily Health Check is available through the W&M Mobile app or m.wm.edu. We highly recommend that you continue to use it; however, we will not be requiring its use this semester. When we originally introduced the tool, general understanding of COVID-19, risky health behaviors and potential symptoms were not well understood. After six months, we recognize that we all have a much better understanding of the virus, so the mandated daily reminder is less useful. If you need a refresher or are concerned about potential symptoms, it may provide a first check to help you determine whether you need to modify your actions or reach out to a health care provider for a diagnostic assessment.

Please remember now that we are in the midst of winter and with spring allergy season on the horizon you should not attend in-person classes or come to campus if you are not feeling well. Do not assume it’s only a cold or allergies. Rather, assume you may be infected and seek medical guidance before continuing to study or work in person. We want to make sure that you’re getting the care you need and that you are not inadvertently putting others at risk.

As a final note, this past weekend we welcomed new undergraduate freshmen, transfer and international students to move-in, along with freshmen who studied entirely remotely in the fall. We recognize that these students have been oriented to W&M’s health and safety protocols, but don’t yet have a successful semester under their belts in terms of our shared norms and expectations. They will be looking to all of us – students, faculty and staff – for guidance, modeling and mentorship. We know the first semester of college can be challenging and stressful for students under normal conditions – so much more during a pandemic! I know that we will all do our best to help our students develop the habits and norms that will help protect themselves and others throughout the spring semester.

Sincerely,
Amy Sebring
W&M COO, COVID-19 Director

At-will COVID-19 testing available beginning January 25

January 20, 2021

Good afternoon,

Free, voluntary COVID-19 testing is again available for all W&M faculty and staff members, without a physician's referral. This at-will testing is intended to provide asymptomatic employees an additional tool for risk mitigation as they move between the campus community and other populations. This testing will resume the week of January 25 by appointment only. Make an appointment.

The at-will tests, held at the VCU Health Clinic at 332 N. Henry Street in Williamsburg, take approximately 15 minutes. Appointments are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Please bring a photo ID with you to the appointment. To see your results, you will need a free account registered with Kallaco Health & Technology before your appointment. To get started with an account, please visit the Kallaco portal. Click "Forgot Password" to create a new account, and DO NOT use your W&M password. Test results will be available to view within Kallaco in three business days.

If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, do not schedule an at-will testing appointment. Consult your healthcare provider instead. This also applies to faculty and staff members who have been identified as close contacts of a COVID-19-postive person -- begin quarantine and consult your healthcare provider; do not schedule an at-will test through William & Mary.

Thank you for all you are doing to keep William & Mary healthy this spring. If you have additional questions about testing, please email [[HealhtyTogether]].

All the best,
W&M Testing Coordination Team

Expectations for Spring 2021

January 14, 2021

Dear William & Mary Community,

I write to share William & Mary’s expectations for the spring semester, with planned adjustments that reflect current public health conditions. Through the break, staff and faculty have been intensively preparing for a spring semester that will be different. In early January, the United States is experiencing the fiercest spread of COVID-19 to date. At the same time, hearts are lifted by the vaccines being distributed to frontline healthcare workers and our most vulnerable community members – thanks to extraordinary efforts by scientists around the world.

Here is what has not changed

William & Mary’s goals remain: to do everything we can to safeguard our community’s health – transforming the campus and establishing shared norms and values – so that we can sustain our mission of teaching, learning and research.
We continue to make decisions in a phased way that allows us to move forward with the best data and scientific evidence available and adjust to changing public health conditions.
And we continue to offer as much flexibility as possible for our students, so each can choose the learning environment that gives them the best chance of success in this time of ongoing uncertainty.
Finally, we will communicate steadily as conditions change, creating as much certainty as we are able to.

From a successful fall, we know that campus communities can work, live and study together as long as we remain committed to protecting ourselves and others. On campus, that will mean re-creating our shared norms around mask wearing (indoors and out), physical distancing and other measures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. So too, actions taken off campus have an impact on the W&M community. For those in Williamsburg, a wholehearted embrace of our shared norms is needed wherever we are, on campus and off. At the beginning of the semester, outdoor temperatures will remain low in Williamsburg; we will spend more time indoors, and need to exhibit steadfast resolve. The W&M community is known for its conscientious care, and I’m confident in our commitment to one another.

Headlines for spring 2021

William & Mary is implementing every adaptation and adjustment that proved successful in the fall.
Anticipating that early winter would bring a pandemic surge, we have planned significant additional steps to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
In the fall, William & Mary succeeded in our goals to take care of each other, and to protect our community, because of the close partnerships we built within and beyond the university: partnerships with student, staff and faculty assemblies’ leadership; city and state health officials; colleagues at other institutions; and drawing on the expertise of our own people. Those partnerships remain crucial to a successful spring.

I ask everyone to read carefully our key updates for spring.

The Path Forward website is updated regularly, includes a detailed timeline, and is the best source for the most current information on:

Phased return to campus / phased return to in-person classes
Academic building access
Latest vaccine information
Adjustments to campus services, such as carry-out dining
Guidelines for student organizations

We launch the spring semester during a moment of deep uncertainty about the national public health picture in the coming months. So I am delighted to share that I will host Dr. Anthony Fauci for a Community Conversation on January 26 at 3 p.m. I encourage you to submit your questions regarding the national public health landscape for Dr. Fauci in advance. We hope to address the most pressing interests of this community in that conversation.

We also begin this semester at a moment of national reckoning, a moment in which many are deeply concerned about the future of our democratic processes. William & Mary remains focused on our responsibility to prepare the future leaders of our democracy, businesses and organizations. And we remain committed to providing a safe learning environment for debate, discussion and disagreement.

As we did in the fall, we are counting on each of you to help us navigate these unprecedented times. We are in this together. Your questions, feedback and insights help inform our path forward, so please continue to use the online form and we will endeavor to be responsive.

Your patience, dedication and creativity are William & Mary’s most powerful strengths, and we are enormously grateful.

Sincerely,
– Katherine

Katherine A. Rowe
President

Phased Return to Campus

William & Mary is again phasing move-in and return to in-person classes, in order to de-densify campus and establish healthy norms from the start. The spring course schedule includes in-person, blended and fully-remote sections. The spring academic calendar is not shortened; we have adopted spring break days throughout the semester. Details are available in the spring calendar announcement and the University Registrar’s website.

Move-in

New students, including transfer, freshmen and international students, as well as freshmen who studied remotely in the fall January 22
Returning freshmen and international students January 23-24
Seniors January 30
Sophomores and juniors February 6-7

Classes

Law School January 19
Full-time MBA, flex MBA, MAcc and MSBA programs January 25
Undergraduate classes begin remotely January 27
Graduate arts & sciences, marine science and education January 27
In-person and blended undergraduate classes begin convening February 10

Building access

The Law School will reopen to faculty, staff and students with card access beginning January 19. All other W&M academic buildings will reopen for use by students, faculty and staff on Thursday, Jan. 21. This includes expanded classroom access as student study space; no food or drink is permitted in these spaces. As a reminder, students must have a negative COVID-19 test before coming to campus.

Coronavirus Response

Vaccine information

The Virginia Department of Health is coordinating the rollout of the coronavirus vaccine in the Commonwealth and is currently in Phase 1A. As VDH partners with William & Mary to develop distribution plans for our population, some 1A qualifying members of the W&M community will begin receiving doses this week. The Commonwealth has designated the bulk of higher education faculty and staff as essential workers in Phase 1C. William & Mary is partnering with our local health districts for vaccine plans and will announce details for faculty, staff and students as they are further developed.

Mask use

Masks will continue to be required, indoors and outdoors, in the spring, with some exceptions, including within dorm rooms and outdoors when proper distance can be maintained. Specifics are available on the Path Forward website. We anticipate continuing to wear masks even as vaccinations become more widespread. While the vaccines protect the inoculated individual, it is currently unclear whether they prevent the person from further spreading COVID-19.

Dining

At the launch of the semester, all dining options will be to-go only. We encourage students, faculty and staff to eat outdoors as weather permits. If positivity rates remain reasonable, W&M plans to transition to limited indoor seating with the start of in-person undergraduate classes on February 10.

Daily menus are available for review in the BiteU app that can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play. For quick selection and reduced wait times, students can review before arriving. Students may also use the BiteU app for mobile-ordering at Marketplace, Cosi, Qdoba and Sadler Express.

Students may make eligible changes to meal plans by visiting mealplan.wm.edu before February 5.

Guidelines for Recognized Student Organizations

To ensure the health and safety of individuals and the collective W&M community, Recognized Student Organization (RSO) activities will continue to operate with a limited scope that promotes the Healthy Together Community Commitment. The established guidelines and expectations from the fall will continue as we begin the Spring 2021 semester. These are subject to review and change throughout the semester. We hope to be able to expand the scope of activity as pandemic conditions improve. More detailed information can be found on the Student Leadership Development website. The following are general guidelines:

A moratorium on all in-person RSO events and activities will be in effect between the time residence halls open and the start of in-person classes.
In-person RSO events and activities must have an event/activity plan in place that ensures safety for members and participants.
RSOs will be responsible for tracking attendance at all in-person events and activities (TribeLink and Mobile Check In are the recommended tools). Tracking through TribeLink will be required for space reserved through SUE Events.
A physical distance of 6 feet between participants must be maintained.
Facial coverings must be worn at all times.
No food or alcohol may be served or provided by RSO’s at organization events or activities.
RSOs will abide by specific limitations affecting meetings, activities and events.

International student self-quarantine

All students are advised to self-quarantine for 8-10 days before beginning their travel back to campus. Those students traveling from outside the continental U.S. must take their self-administered COVID-19 test once they arrive. They should allow for an additional 2-3 days of self-quarantine while they await their test results.

For students traveling by air, the U.S. will begin requiring a negative test result prior to boarding an airplane headed to the U.S., effective January 26. Visit the CDC website for more information on the new requirement. Students will be able to upload their negative test results in the Kallaco portal in lieu of taking W&M’s self-administered test.

Additional Measures

Testing

As in the fall, W&M is implementing a robust coronavirus testing program that includes pre-arrival testing as well as wastewater, prevalence and at-will testing throughout the semester. As a reminder, participation in the university’s testing program is mandatory; if you are contacted to participate in prevalence testing, you must respond.

W&M will exempt community members from pre-arrival and prevalence testing for 90 days after receiving a positive test result. To provide documentation of the positive, visit the Kallaco portal Records menu and follow prompts to Upload Record.

Quarantine

In response to a change in CDC guidelines, William & Mary’s Public Health Advisory Team has recommended a 10-day self-quarantine or isolation for those who test positive as well as students, faculty and staff who have been identified as close contacts.

Contact Tracing

William & Mary has also developed detailed contact tracing and case management systems that help students, faculty and staff navigate a positive diagnosis. The university additionally reserves Richmond Hall as dedicated quarantine & isolation housing for students and has overflow dedicated quarantine housing available, if needed, for those living on campus. For those who live off campus, the university has developed a resource guide. Find details at the Path Forward website. If you do test positive for coronavirus, please visit ReportCovid.

Healthy Together Community Commitment

One of William & Mary’s greatest strengths is our sense of community. As we face the uncertainties of the COVID-19 pandemic and plan ahead to mitigate risks, a commitment to community-wide actions is absolutely essential. Our ability to advance during this pandemic requires each member of the community, without exception, to comply with all COVID-19 related health and safety rules as articulated by university leadership generally and the COVID-19 Response Team in particular. Please visit the Path Forward website for more information about the Healthy Together Community Commitment.

Return to Campus Testing - Spring 2021

January 8, 2021

Dear William & Mary Students, Faculty & Staff,

As William & Mary moves into a new semester, the COVID-19 Testing Coordination Team provides the following information on testing efforts for the Spring 2021 semester.

William & Mary is continuing to partner with the VCU Health System (VCUHS) for expanded medical services, including COVID-19 testing for students and employees. We continue to work closely with Kallaco on testing logistics, partnering with Clinical Reference Laboratory for return to campus testing.

In coordination with those partners and in consultation with W&M’s Public Health Advisory Team, we will continue to modify our testing program to reflect current public health conditions and use appropriate testing options based on the data and science available. For now, I write to provide an update on our current testing plans as we approach the start of the spring semester.

Student Testing

All students  living in campus housing or within a 30-mile radius of campus, who plan to attend in-person instruction or use university facilities, will be required to have a negative COVID-19 test before returning to campus. The timing of initial testing depends on when a student has been approved to return to campus:

Students will receive an email 10 to 12 days prior to return asking them to confirm their order for a self-administered, mail-in saliva COVID-19 test kit prior to coming to campus.
- Students must confirm the order no later than 8 days prior to their planned return to campus through their Kallaco portal in order for the test kit to be mailed. Test kits will arrive in time for students to self-administer the test, mail it back and receive test results before they are due to arrive on campus.
- Consistent with current VDH and CDC guidelines, we recommend students self-quarantine for 8-10 days prior to arrival.
- For the first 10 days after arrival, close contact should be limited to roommates or housemates.
Tracking information for returning the test to the lab is not available in the portal, so you will need to record the tracking number provided on the return label so you can track it through the FedEx website.
International students must send their test to a stateside address. They should plan to self-quarantine off campus while they await the results of their test (2-3 days). If they do not have a stateside address to mail the test, they can be mailed to and picked up from the Student Health Center at:

William & Mary
Student Health Center
P.O. Box 8795
Williamsburg, VA 23187-8795

If you test positive for COVID-19, you must isolate at home and the Student Health Center will work with you on your return to campus plans. You must also complete the form at Report COVID to initiate case management that will assist with isolation requirements and help you navigate classes and study.
If you are in quarantine as a close contact, you must finish your 10-day quarantine at home prior to returning to campus.
Similar to the fall, W&M will conduct mandatory prevalence testing (sampling at least 5% of the student body) weekly and census testing of the full student body based on guidance from the Public Health Advisory Team and our healthcare partners.
Students who experience symptoms over the course of the semester should make an appointment with the Student Health Center or a private healthcare provider for a clinical assessment and testing if necessary.

Employee Testing

As we did in the fall, employees in high contact positions that are not able to sustain masking, distancing or other health provisions due to the nature of their jobs may be required to test before the university welcomes returning students to campus. You will be notified by your supervisor or the Testing Coordination Team if you have been identified.

Voluntary at-will testing through VCUHS will resume the week of January 25 by appointment only. A reminder message with the link to book an appointment will be sent the week prior.
Mandatory prevalence testing (sampling at least 2% of the employee population) will continue weekly.
Employees who experience symptoms should make an appointment with their health care provider for a clinical assessment.
If an employee tests positive or has been identified as a close contact, they are also required to complete the form at Report COVID. They must remain off campus until cleared to return by their assigned case manager, who may ask for documentation from a physician or health care provider.

Testing Exceptions and Return to Campus for Individuals who Recently Tested Positive for COVID-19

Tests can continue to detect viral material in those who have previously tested positive after they are no longer infectious. Following CDC guidelines, W&M will exempt students, employees and dining workers from pre-arrival and prevalence testing for a period of 90 days after the date a positive test was administered, upon documentation of the result. To provide documentation of the prior positive test result, please visit the Kallaco portal Records menu and follow the prompts to Upload Record.

Will there be testing at the end of the Spring 2021 semester?

Depending on the timing of vaccinations, William & Mary may again offer voluntary testing for students and employees who wish to be tested prior to returning home for the summer. We are working with our local health district and will provide information on vaccines as information becomes available.

We will continue providing update information in the coming days and weeks. Thank you for your diligence and commitment to keeping William & Mary healthy together.

Sincerely,

Amy Sebring, COVID Director and Chief Operating Officer