To: The Wellesley College Community
From: President Paula A. Johnson
Re: Changes to COVID-related Health and Safety Protocols
Date: February 23, 2022

I am writing to share details about our plans to relax some of the College’s health and safety protocols. In the last three weeks, the numbers of positive cases and hospitalizations in Massachusetts as well as the statewide positivity rate have all dropped significantly. The positivity rate in Massachusetts is now below 3 percent, as it was before Thanksgiving.

While these trends are encouraging, we are still not where we were in September 2021. In addition, vaccines have not yet been authorized for children under 5, which we recognize creates challenges for many members of our community, and immunocompromised people are still at risk.

Therefore, we are proceeding cautiously in making these changes, mindful that several of our peer institutions saw case counts jump after they relaxed restrictions earlier this month. Our approach will be more gradual: We are taking steps we believe will help keep case counts under control while allowing us to enjoy being together on campus and to build community. Below is an overview of the protocols at this time:

Masks 

  • Masks are not required outdoors.

  • Masks are required in all indoor spaces except as noted below and as described in the section below regarding dining.

  • Masks are required on all Local Motion buses and other vehicles.

  • Masks are required in private work spaces when the door is open.

  • Employees should continue to wear masks in shared office spaces.

  • Students are not required to wear masks in the residence halls. Employees will remain masked in residence halls. Students must wear masks when in the presence of staff.

Dining

  • Students may remove masks when seated and eating in dining halls.

  • Students may eat inside residence halls in common spaces.

  • Cultural houses may now serve food at events due to the installation of HEPA filters.

  • Society houses are not allowed to serve food at events as these spaces lack HEPA filters.

  • The Office of Religious and Spiritual Life may serve food at events as part of a religious service or observance (e.g., communion, Ramadan). Food is permitted at religious and cultural events that are supervised by staff and held in areas with adequate ventilation.

Academic and administrative buildings

  • Eating in academic and administrative buildings is permitted in the following spaces:

    • Established break rooms with distancing as previously established.

    • Individual offices (up to three people).

    • Conference rooms that are not also used as classrooms (up to 10 people).

    • Cow Chair Room in the Lulu (up to 10 people).

    • Tables near the Leaky Beaker in the Science Complex atrium/Faroll Focus.

Gatherings

  • We will continue to maintain capacity limits in large indoor spaces (e.g., Chapel, Alumnae Hall, Collins, Tishman, Library Lecture Room).

  • Large indoor gatherings (over 50 people) must still be organized and managed by the events office and/or the Office of Student Involvement.

  • Large outdoor gatherings are permitted on campus.

Testing  

  • Testing schedules will remain the same: twice weekly for students and once weekly for faculty/staff.

Spring break (March 17 to March 27)

  • Students are required to have one negative PCR test result in order to return to the classroom after spring break.

  • Classes will resume March 28, and campus events and gatherings will resume March 31.

  • Lulu and additional dining halls will offer a limited menu on Saturday, March 26, so that students can return in time to ensure that they will have a negative PCR test result by Monday.

  • Individual PCR testing will be offered for students returning from spring break. Rapid testing will not be offered.

Visitors/spectators

  • Visitors on college business who are registered, have provided proof of vaccination, and wear masks will continue to be allowed in academic and administrative buildings.

  • Athletics spectators are allowed indoors under the same conditions. PERA will manage occupancy and spacing.

  • Cross-registered students from Babson, Olin, and MIT should follow the same rules as other visitors.

  • Off-campus visitors are permitted at the Davis Museum provided they follow the visitor policy (registration, masks, proof of vaccination to be shown at Davis Museum front desk before admission).

  • External visitors are not allowed in the residence halls.

Travel

  • Out-of-state or international travel by vaccinated individuals (personal, academic, or administrative travel on College business) requires one negative PCR test prior to returning to in-person work or class on campus.

  • Unvaccinated individuals need to quarantine for five days upon returning from out-of-state or international travel.