Guidance for Thanksgiving
The following note was sent to all students on November 6, 2020 in the afternoon. Please note the content on these pages and files is no longer being updated and may be out of date.
Friends,
As the last Thursday in November – some call the day Friendsgiving, others Thanksgiving – approaches we’ve put together important COVID compliance information. Please take a moment to work through this checklist:
Stay Here or There and Prepare to Self-Quarantine/Stay in Place
We want you to stay wherever you currently are. Or, if you travel somewhere else, stay there for the rest of the semester. If you must travel away from the campus during the break, you are subject to and must follow the Massachusetts travel quarantine order and a stay-in-place advisory upon your return. This stay-in-place period must be observed in your currently assigned residence until you have received three consecutive negative test results in one of the Boston University testing facilities. You may leave your residence for meals and medical/testing appointments only. If you are an on-campus resident and found in violation of the stay-in-place advisory, access to your residence, campus dining, Wi-Fi and online/in-person course access will be suspended.
Exercise Good Judgement When You “Connect” with Others
Small, celebratory gatherings with friends and family members are accounting for an increasing number of Coronavirus cases nationwide. Follow these reasonable guidelines before gathering with others. Thanksgiving has been a time many of us are accustomed to spending time, in-person, with family, friends or performing service for others. Whether you are on campus or not, and although it runs counter to the spirit of this season, if you travel away from campus, at all, minimize your contact with other people (even your friends and family members), avoid gatherings (large and small), wear a mask or face covering to protect yourself and those around you, and physically distance from others.
Update your Learn from Anywhere (LfA) Status:
Review and update (if you need to) your LfA location based on where you are currently residing. For example, if you have left campus, and are now living at home, please update your location by selecting “I am not in the local area.” This action item is important to ensure your testing cadence is accurate as we head into the end of the semester. Going forward, please be sure you update your LfA status, when needed, and location when you leave campus for more than a day, and when you return to campus. When you return to campus, you must change your status from remote back to in-person. This will officially notify the University that you have returned to Boston. If you return to campus and fail to update your LfA indicator, access to your residence (if you are an on-campus resident), campus dining, Wi-Fi and online/in-person course access will be suspended.
Increase Your Testing for Two Weeks
Whatever you did or wherever you went over the break, during the weeks starting November 29 and December 6, take an extra test. Add a test onto your current testing cadence for the two weeks after the break.
Long story, short. Stay here or stay where you are now rather than going away – even around the corner – for the break. It’s the wise choice. Despite where you may be, and because of the increasing COVID prevalence throughout this country and this state, the wise plan and action is to limit your contacts, socializing, get-togethers, and gatherings with others. Take a few moments to think about who might be at risk before you choose to travel or get together with loved ones.
The safety and health of our campus community — and by extension, your family and friends – is of critical importance to us. Over the next few weeks, be sure to take pause and express your gratitude to the deserving people in your life,
Be and stay well,
Kenneth Elmore
Associate Provost and Dean of Students