Fall 2022 COVID Protocols

August 23, 2022

Dear members of the Tufts University community,

As we prepare to welcome students back to campus this fall, I am writing to summarize Tufts’ COVID-19 guidelines that are in place as we start the fall semester.

COVID-19 Testing

Testing will be available for symptomatic individuals with a valid Tufts ID on all campuses. See the Testing Calendar for locations and hours of operation.
Everyone must follow the isolation guidelines in case of a positive test.
Tufts will not be conducting surveillance testing (i.e., testing of asymptomatic individuals).
AS&E and Fletcher students are being asked to take a COVID test at home 24 hours before their arrival on campus. If they test positive, we are asking them to delay their arrival and follow Tufts’ isolation guidelines.

Masking

The use of masks on campus is strongly recommended as an effective strategy to prevent the transmission of illness. However, mask wearing is optional and is not required, except when required in designated spaces at the School of Dental Medicine.
Free masks will be available on Tufts campuses.
Additional information on the use of face masks can be found on the CDC’s website.

Vaccination

All faculty, staff, and students must be up to date with their COVID-19 vaccinations. At present, this means completion of a primary series and a booster. If anyone is unvaccinated or unboosted, they must have applied for and received approval from Tufts for medical or religious accommodation. Visit the Tufts COVID-19 Vaccine Information website if you need to learn more about the accommodation process.

If You Are Sick

If you are feeling sick, please stay home and follow the guidance found on the Tufts COVID website.
If you test positive for COVID-19 at home or at a health care provider, you are responsible for uploading your test result into Tufts’ secure HIPAA-compliant portal or the Health and Wellness Patient Portal (Medford/Somerville and SMFA students only). This information supports university leadership in making COVID-related data-driven policy decisions.
Tufts will no longer be sending notifications to faculty when a student is out sick. Students will be responsible for notifying their professors. Respectfully, we ask that you be as flexible as possible in helping students keep up with their coursework if they need to be in isolation.
TUSM students at clinical sites who have symptoms of COVID or test positive for COVID should inform the site director and will need to follow local hospital guidance for returning (which may differ from Tufts’ guidelines).

Isolation

Please follow the CDC and Mass Department of Public Healthisolation guidance and isolate at home for a minimum of five (5) full days after a positive test. Do not visit any Tufts campus until you have completed your isolation period. You should consider day 0 the date of your positive test result. See Tufts’ isolation guidelines for more information.

Contact tracing

The University and local public health authorities are not conducting contact tracing for COVID-19 this fall.

You will find the most up-to-date information on the Tufts COVID website. I hope you enjoy the rest of your summer.

With best wishes,

Michael R. Jordan, M.D., M.P.H.

Executive Medical Director Occupational Health Services and University Infection Control Health Director & Associate Professor of Medicine