Dear Students, Faculty and Staff Members,
On Monday, Governor Baker announced new executive orders in response to rising COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations occurring in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. These new orders take effect this Friday, November 6 and include: mandatory face coverings; early closure of businesses and activities; reduced indoor and outdoor gathering sizes; and a stay at home advisory between the hours of 10 pm and 5 am. .
We are writing to let you know how these executive orders and advisories impact campus:
Face Coverings
All members of the campus community will be required to wear face coverings (both nose and mouth) when in public. This includes all indoor and outdoor spaces. There are no exceptions to this rule, even if physically distancing.
Marsh 24/7 Dining
Marsh will continue to provide 24/7 food service. In compliance with state executive orders, however, in-seat dining will be closed between 9:30 pm – 5 am. Grab-and-go service will be available for those wishing to take food back to their rooms during this time.
Gathering Size Restrictions
Gathering sizes for all non-academic related activities will be limited to 10 people indoors and 25 people outdoors. Please note that restrictions on gathering sizes also apply to private residences –both on- and off-campus–and are enforceable by local health and police departments. Violations of these gathering size restrictions may be subject to civil fines.
Stay at Home Advisory
A stay at home advisory has been issued between the hours of 10 pm and 5 am. All residents are encouraged to avoid unnecessary activities during this timeframe. Please note that this is an advisory and activities such as going to work, picking up food, getting medical care, and/or taking a walk are still allowed.
Community Standards
A reminder that all students, on and off-campus, are expected to follow all updated COVID policies listed above. Alleged violations of these policies could result in a referral to Community Standards for a possible code of conduct violation.
In addition, we have paused athletic activities and in-person group fitness classes at this time. Group fitness classes are currently being offered virtually through November 20.
We recognize that these changes may bring additional challenges at an already difficult time. We are hopeful, however, that these targeted measures will help to reverse the upward trend in state COVID-19 cases and keep our campus community healthy.
On this note, we ask all community members to please continue to monitor your health and pay attention to any new symptoms. If you feel sick, please stay home and do not come to campus for class or work. Instead contact counseling and health services at 978.542.6413 if you are a student, or consult with human resources if you are a faculty or staff member. We also encourage all students, faculty and staff who are either living or working on campus to use the CoVerified app daily to monitor symptoms and to take advantage of our free on-campus COVID testing. On-campus testing is convenient, quick, and painless and a critical part of our strategy for keeping our campus safe.
As always, please feel free to reach out to SSUCovid19info@salemstate.edu with any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Elisa Castillo, PhD, Associate Dean of Students for Wellness
Gene Labonte, Associate Vice President for Public Safety and Risk Management