To: The Wellesley Community 
From: President Paula A. Johnson
Re: Notification of a Positive COVID-19 Case in Campus Community
Date: April 4, 2020
We have learned today that a member of the Wellesley College campus community has tested positive for COVID-19. The individual did not have any contact with students in the past 14 days.
Our thoughts are with the affected individual, who is isolating at home and recovering. As we are a small community, I ask for your help in protecting the individual’s identity and privacy so that they can focus completely on their health without the distress that unwanted attention might bring.
The College is closely adhering to all the best practices and protocols recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, which includes communicating with and isolating the close contacts of the individual who tested positive. If you have not been notified, you have not been identified as a close contact.
As you know, the College has already instituted a number of proactive measures to protect the health of our students, faculty, and staff, including transitioning to remote instruction and telecommuting for all employees, except essential staff who need to work on campus. We are also implementing new protocols as needed to better protect our community from this disease. Earlier this week, the College took the unprecedented step of closing the campus to all visitors, including not only our buildings and parking lots but also our beautiful grounds and the path around Lake Waban.
This week, we will be instituting additional precautions, including encouraging all on-campus employees to perform wellness and temperature checks at home before and after coming to campus. We are also working to obtain cloth masks for our on-campus employees in accordance with the latest CDC recommendation, published yesterday. You can find these recommendations on the CDC website. Although we ordered masks, due to shortages across the country they are not yet available.
We encourage you to follow preventative practices to help to keep yourself and our community safe. Please take a moment to review these practical and effective measures, including maintaining six feet of social distance and washing your hands often with soap and water for 20 seconds or more. Remember that wearing a mask does not eliminate the need for these basic measures. I cannot stress enough how important it is for each of you, and particularly those working or living on campus, to stay home if you feel even the slightest bit sick. Community members are also urged to use this form to report to the College if you are suspected or known to have COVID-19.
I recognize that news of a positive test among our campus community is unsettling. Governor Charlie Baker and Mass DPH have advised that the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is currently experiencing widespread community transmission of COVID-19, and they expect a surge in positive cases in the coming weeks. I urge students who have any concerns about their own health or are simply feeling anxious to call Health Services or the Stone Center Counseling Service. Both are open and available to you whether you are on or off campus. Faculty and staff are encouraged to telephone their primary care physicians or seek help from our Employee Assistance Program.
I also recommend that you visit the College’s dedicated COVID-19 website for important information and updates related to our response.
While we cannot know what challenges lie ahead, I do know that we will face them together and in a way that is uniquely Wellesley. Although our community has now become in many respects a virtual one, we remain united in our care and respect for each other and in our continued commitment to our shared mission.