Dear Students:
In order to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19, we continue to strongly urge all students to refrain from socializing with anyone from outside your household and adhere to all public health protocols. In the past two weeks, more than 150 students living on the Main Campus and in the neighborhoods near campus have tested positive for COVID-19. It appears that transmission occurred following travel, through small indoor gatherings involving people from different households, through social networks and through contacts with roommates.
With the Super Bowl this Sunday, the safest way to celebrate is to gather virtually or only with the people in your household. It is important to remember that individuals without symptoms or with a recent negative test result can still spread COVID-19 to others.
Your decisions and actions are critical to our ability to further increase access to campus spaces. When we started the Spring semester last week, we began to hold in-person hybrid courses and launch opportunities for students to use on-campus study spaces and other services on the Main Campus. Unfortunately, high numbers of COVID-19 cases have led the University to delay those plans for most and to take measures to limit the exposure of members of our community.
If you have traveled from outside the DC area to return to campus or the neighborhood, or you have been in close contact with a COVID-19 infected person or person under investigation for possible COVID-19 infection, you should self-quarantine and continue to get tested in accordance with Georgetown’s COVID-19 Testing Protocol. Quarantine requirements may vary based on specific situations, so please follow all instructions from the DC Department of Health and Georgetown’s public health team.
Students living in the neighborhoods around campus should continue to come to campus to get tested weekly, and we strongly encourage students living in the neighborhoods to get tested twice per week at no charge. On-campus testing is safe and efficient.
To have any chance of resuming on-campus activities we must all continue to do our part and remain vigilant in following health and safety guidelines, including wearing a mask, practicing physical distancing, avoiding indoor social gatherings, respecting the requirement to quarantine and meeting testing commitments.
If you have any questions or concerns at this time, please contact Georgetown’s Care Navigator Team at covidcarenavigator@georgetown.edu.
Sincerely,
Robert M. Groves, Provost
Edward B. Healton, Executive Vice President of Health Sciences