A Message about the End of the COVID-19 “Emergency,” Current CDC Recommendations, and Bard’s COVID-19 Policies for Summer and Fall 2023
A COVID-19 Update
- End of the COVID-19 “emergency”
- Current CDC recommendations
- Bard’s COVID-19 policies for Summer and Fall 2023
To the Bard College Community:
As we near the end of the academic year, we would like to bring you some COVID-related updates.
End of the COVID-19 “emergency”
As many of you are aware, in the past several weeks there have been some announcements that impact the amount of resources dedicated to COVID-19 response. President Biden declared an end to the national COVID-19 emergency in the United States, and the director-general of the World Health Organization declared the end of COVID-19 as a global public health emergency.
What does this mean for us here at Bard? First, it is important to realize, as the WHO director-general emphasized, that these announcements do not mean that COVID-19 is no longer a global threat. New variants continue to emerge. However, more than 13 billion vaccine doses have been administered worldwide since the beginning of the pandemic, and these highly effective vaccines have decreased death rates and eased pressures on health systems. That is why we are no longer in an “emergency” situation even though COVID-19 continues to exist and evolve. With the end of the “COVID-19 national public health emergency” in the United States, the government will stop offering some COVID-related benefits such as free at-home COVID-19 tests. However, Bard Health Services will continue to offer COVID-19 tests to students who need them. Bard faculty and staff can continue to access testing via their health insurance, in consultation with their primary care provider.
Current CDC recommendations
The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) has not changed its guidelines regarding the need to isolate for at least five days after testing positive for COVID-19. Students who test positive will continue to be under the care of Bard Health Services, in coordination with the Dean of Students Office and Office of Residential Life, as has been the case throughout the pandemic. Students should continue to email [email protected] after a positive test to receive further instructions. Employees with questions about isolation should contact the Human Resources office. The CDC’s current COVID-19 isolation guidelines can be accessed here.
Bard’s COVID-19 policies for Summer and Fall 2023
Given that effective vaccines enabled the end of the global health emergency and have helped our community minimize serious illness due to COVID-19, the College will keep in place its requirement that all students, faculty, staff, and visitors be vaccinated and boosted against the COVID-19 virus with a WHO-recognized vaccine. We strongly encourage staying up to date with the most recent bivalent booster vaccine recommendations, which can be found on the CDC COVID-19 vaccine website. We will continue to offer access to vaccines and boosters at occasional on-campus clinics, as we have in the past. We have confirmed that COVID-19 vaccines will continue to be covered by our student health insurance plan for the 2023–24 academic year. We will also continue to accommodate and be mindful of those members of our community who are unable to get vaccinated for medical or religious reasons. It is the responsibility of anyone hosting a visitor on campus to communicate the COVID-19 vaccine requirement.
The campus will remain mask friendly, meaning that anyone who wants to wear a mask is welcome to do so.
We remain in close contact with public health authorities and will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation. We will update you if any changes occur in the public health situation that may warrant changes to College policies. In the meantime, please feel free to reach out to us at [email protected] with questions.
Sincerely,
Bard College COVID-19 Response Team
[email protected]
Coleen Murphy Alexander, Vice President for Administration
Kimberly Alexander, Director, Human Resources
Christian Ayne Crouch, Dean of Graduate Studies
Deirdre d'Albertis, Vice President and Dean of the College
Malia Du Mont, Chief of Staff, President's Office, Vice President for Strategy and Policy
Brooke Jude, Associate Professor of Biology
David Lindholm, Director of Athletics and Recreation
Emily McLaughlin, Associate Dean of the College, Associate Professor of Chemistry
Michael Sadowski, Associate Dean of the College
David Shein, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dean of Studies
Yakira Teitel, MD, MPH, Director of Health Services
Angela Cavanna, DO, Consulting Physician, Bard Health Services
Pete Verdesi, Director, Safety and Security
Dumaine Williams, Vice President for Student Affairs
Hannah Zipple, Dean of Students
For more information, call 845-758-6822.
Save this Event: