Important Alert Level Updates

亲爱的Skidmore社区:   

I’m pleased to report that after beginning the semester in “safe shelter” mode and maintaining enhanced precautions throughout this week, we currently have just two students in isolation and three in quarantine. This is a remarkable result, indicating the rigor of our preparations and the exceptional commitment from all of us to a safe 重返校园. 

正如 重返校园计划, our goal was to resume in-person dining and more activity beginning the third week 本学期的. Given the limited number of COVID-19 cases on campus and declining positivity rates in Saratoga County, we will move forward as planned, while of course maintaining continued vigilance and a high level of caution. 

To help guide decisions about activities, movement and operations on campus as we continue through the semester, the College has refined our alert level framework to address key health and safety factors.  

Through this weekend, heightened precautions remain in place: students will continue to pick up their meals to-go at the dining hall and gatherings are 不 允许. Provided that positive test levels remain low over the weekend, I’m happy 为了分享 2月星期一生效. 15, the College will operate at an警戒级别2. 

At 警戒级别2, the number of positive test results and number of exposed individuals in quarantine are slightly higher than at the lowest level of alert, but effective and timely contact 跟踪是可能的. The College has been able to swiftly identify, isolate and contain 传输. There is no evidence of wider 传输 within the Skidmore community, 在校内外.  

I encourage everyone to visit the 校园规划网站 to carefully review detailed information about the 警戒水平 and each level’s impact on key services, operations, activities and expectations. 考虑到这一点， I want to highlight a few key changes to be aware of, effective Feb. 15:

• 用餐将回到 正常操作. 
• Testing will return to once weekly.
• Small-group gatherings of no more than 10 individuals will be 允许 when individuals are masked and socially distanced at all times.
• In housing, on-campus students may visit others on campus (one person per room or 公寓). Off-campus students may visit other off-campus students (one person per 公寓或房子). All students must be masked and socially distanced at all times and cleared in CoVerified. Students living off campus may 不 be in campus housing and students in campus housing may 不 visit off-campus residences.

Given the uncertain and ever-changing nature of the pandemic, flexibility within alert levels is essential and anticipated. Guidance may shift in response to any unique 因素组合. In addition, the need to adjust from one level to a不her 可能很快发生. As always, clear communication within our community will be crucial. 

If there is a required shift in 警戒水平 — up or down — all students and employees will be 不ified via email, followed immediately by a Skidmore Urgent Notification 系统(太阳)消息. The email will provide any key guidance at that particular moment, in addition to 网上张贴的是什么 警戒级别网页.

The College’s current operating status will always be visible on the COVID-19仪表板, and alert level changes will also be 不ed in the Skidmore Weekly Bulletin.  

If anything changes in the plan outlined above prior to Monday, the community will be 不ified as promptly as possible. 

This is extremely encouraging news. We’re starting out about as well as anyone would 敢于去希望. Everyone should feel exceptionally proud of the job we’ve done as a community in returning safely to campus. Now we must continue to exercise caution and care, as the virus remains more prevalent than in the fall and we still have a journey ahead of us with this pandemic. Please continue to take care of yourselves 彼此之间.  

与感恩, 
马克·康纳
总统