Dear Off-Campus Students,
At the end of last month, President DeGioia shared the University’s decision regarding changes to the upcoming Fall semester. While we unfortunately won’t be able to welcome students for in-person classes, we recognize that many of our students will live off-campus in the Georgetown, Burleith or Foxhall neighborhoods (“Neighborhoods”) this Fall. You are receiving this email because you have indicated you are such a student.
Initial Quarantine and Isolation
In accordance with the DC Mayor’s Order 2020-081, all residents and persons traveling from “high-risk states” from July 27, 2020 forward must self-quarantine for 14 days following their return or arrival to the District. There are currently 29 states designated by DC Health as high-risk. The list is subject to change, including the addition of new states. In addition, consistent with CDC guidance, individuals traveling from international locations must also self-quarantine for 14 days. Individuals who are required to self-quarantine must stay at their residence, leaving only for essential medical appointments or treatment, or to obtain food and other essential goods when delivery is not possible; not invite or allow guests, other than caregivers, into their quarantined residence; and self-monitor for symptoms of COVID-19, seeking appropriate medical care as needed.
If you will soon be traveling to DC from one of these high-risk states or from outside the United States, please plan ahead for self-quarantine in your place of residence and consider how you will fulfill this obligation regarding grocery shopping, food delivery or animal care. Failure to comply with the quarantine requirement could result in a $1,000 fine from the District of Columbia.
Regardless of where you are traveling from, if you test positive prior to your departure to the District of Columbia, you must isolate wherever you are before traveling. Please follow your state or municipality’s isolation requirements. Please notify covid19-test-results@georgetown.edu if such a situation arises. You will likely be in isolation for 10 days, plus have no fever for at least 24 hours before you can resume your travel plans.
Participation in Georgetown’s Testing Protocol
Students in the Neighborhoods will participate in the University’s testing protocol. You will have access to free COVID-19 testing through One Medical, a health care provider we are working with to implement the University’s health and safety plan.
Georgetown’s testing protocol requires that all members of the community on campus and students living in the Neighborhoods receive three initial COVID-19 tests. Your first test will be mailed to wherever you are in the United States – even if you are currently living in the Neighborhoods – and will be followed by two additional tests at a One Medical testing site on campus. If you have previously received testing instructions in order to complete required curricular elements in your degree programs necessitating on-campus work for the coming Fall semester, then please continue with that testing protocol.
Understanding that the test kit needs to be mailed, please consider the timing related to when you will arrive in the Neighborhoods if you have not arrived yet. In some cases, it may be better to request the kit be sent to your Neighborhood residence. Please note testing kits cannot be mailed to international locations, and anyone traveling from an international location will need to self-quarantine for 14 days upon arrival to the Neighborhoods and request the test kit be sent to their Neighborhood residence.
Register for an At-Home Testing Kit
- Become a One Medical member, and sign the consent form, which authorizes One Medical to release your COVID-19 test results and your daily risk assessment “badge” reported through the mobile application to Georgetown. Please indicate that “Georgetown University” is the party to receive the information covered under the consent.It takes about five minutes. Please do this today.
- You can register to become a One Medical member by either:
Using a Web Browser and Going to a Direct Link:
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- Go to this link.
- Enter your Georgetown NetID email address.
- Apply the code you received by email on August 20.
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OR
Downloading the One Medical App on Your Mobile Device:
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- Download the One Medical app.
- Open the mobile app and click “Not a member? Join today.”
- Click “Eligible for an employee benefit? Apply code” at the bottom.
- Enter your Georgetown NetID email address.
- Apply the code you received by email on August 20.
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- When signing up, please enter the best physical address for One Medical to mail your at-home testing kit. If you are already living at your Neighborhood address or will arrive in the next three to five days, please mail the testing kit there.
- After you have completed your registration and entered the correct address, please order your at-home test kit. Follow the instructions as noted.
- Your kit should arrive three to five days after you register with One Medical.
Complete the At-Home Test
When you receive your at-home test kit, please note the following:
- Instructions for how to swab and return the sample are included within the kit.
- The test should be completed as quickly as possible, ideally the same day you receive your kit.
- You will get your test results via a secure message, which you can view in your One Medical account via the One Medical app or website. Please note that the current testing result turnaround time can fluctuate based on local, regional and national surges.
If you have any questions or concerns about the testing process or the One Medical app, please contact One Medical at 1-888-ONEMED1 (1-888-663-6331) or hello@onemedical.com.
Get Your Second and Third Tests on Campus
If your testing kit was mailed to your Neighborhood address, get a second COVID-19 test no fewer than five days after your first test, then a third test no fewer than 10 days after your second test. You will need to self-schedule your appointments within the One Medical app. Do not wait to receive the results of your first test before scheduling your second test.
If you completed your at-home test before you moved to your Neighborhood address, please get a second COVID-19 test within 24 hours of your arrival to the Neighborhood, and a third test no fewer than five days after your second test. You will need to self-schedule your appointments within the One Medical app.
To self-schedule an appointment to be tested at a Georgetown testing site:
- Open the One Medical app or visit its website, select “Book Visit” or “Get Care.” Enter a reason for the visit (e.g., “COVID test”) and select “Georgetown COVID Testing.”
- Choose a Georgetown University location and an appointment time, then tap the button to book. There is currently a testing tent on the Main Campus (lot off Library Walk just south of Maguire with two additional sites to be added shortly).
- You will get your test results via a secure message, which you can view in your One Medical account via the One Medical app or website. Please note that in-person testing result turnaround times can fluctuate based on local, regional and national surges.
- New slots are added daily, so please continue to check the app for appointment availability.
Positive COVID-19 Test Results, and COVID-19 Symptoms
If you receive a positive COVID-19 test result from a test administered through One Medical and you have signed the One Medical consent form, Georgetown’s COVID-19 public health team will contact you to provide recommendations for quarantine and isolation and coordinate support services with the Student Health Center, Student Affairs, One Medical and other University resources.
If you receive a positive COVID-19 test result from an outside vendor (a test NOT administered through One Medical) or you have received a positive test from One Medical but have NOT signed the One Medical consent form, please notify us at covid19-test-results@georgetown.edu. Georgetown’s COVID-19 public health team will contact you to discuss your next steps.
If you think you may have any COVID-19 symptoms, please contact the Student Health Center at 202-687-2200 to speak to a primary care physician or nurse practitioner. Registered patients can also request appointments in the myMedStar patient portal. Detailed information about the services provided at the Student Health Center can be found on the Student Health Center website.
If Georgetown’s COVID-19 public health team, a health care provider, the District of Columbia Department of Health, or another public health agency recommends quarantine or isolation, you should self-quarantine or isolate in your Neighborhood residence. To protect the health and safety of our on-campus community, including our staff, we are not able to provide a place on campus for students residing in the Neighborhoods to self-quarantine or isolate at this time.
Community Compact
As a reminder, students living in the Neighborhoods are required to follow all elements of the Georgetown University Community Compact, such as completing a daily health attestation, wearing a face covering that covers both your nose and mouth at all times when outside of your private residence, maintaining physical distancing of at least six feet, and the prohibition of social gatherings of more than 10 individuals, including residents, at any time. Students found responsible for serious or persistent noncompliance may face significant sanctions under the procedures set forth in campus student codes of conduct or professionalism, including suspension or dismissal.
If you have questions, please call or email the University Helpline so that the appropriate University representative can answer your questions:
- FAQ for Fall 2020
- 202-784-3510 (Available 9 a.m.–5 p.m. ET Monday–Friday)
- covid19-questions@georgetown.edu
Thank you for your attention to these important instructions and for your commitment to protect the health and safety of each other and all members of the Georgetown community.
Please know you do not have to do any of this alone. The Office of Neighborhood Life will follow up in the coming days to welcome you to the Neighborhood and share additional ways the University will support your health and well-being.
Sincerely,
Robert M. Groves
Provost
Edward B. Healton
Executive Vice President of Health Sciences
Geoffrey S. Chatas
Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer