Dear Bentley Community,
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently recommended that vaccinated individuals return to wearing face coverings indoors in public when in areas of substantial or high transmission of COVID-19. Last week, transmission rates in most of Massachusetts (including Middlesex County, where Bentley is located) reached “substantial” or “high” levels, as defined by the CDC. In consideration of the change in CDC guidance, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) advises the use of face coverings indoors in public for vaccinated individuals who are more vulnerable or live with a household member at greater risk.
In our community, students, faculty and staff are required to be vaccinated (with some medical and religious exemptions), and our campus level of vaccination far outpaces the state’s already very high level of vaccination. Face coverings remain optional on our campus for fully vaccinated people; however, consistent with the latest DPH advisory, the university recommends that a fully vaccinated person wear a face covering when indoors (and not in a private office) if:
- You have a weakened immune system or are at increased risk of severe disease because of your age or an underlying medical condition; or
- Someone in your household has a weakened immune system, is at increased risk for severe disease, or is an unvaccinated adult.
Unvaccinated community members, all of whom must receive an approved medical or religious exemption, are required to wear a face covering at all times when not in a private office, in addition to maintaining physical distance and participating in the weekly testing protocol.
As with all guidelines related to the pandemic, it’s important that we be flexible as the situation and personal preferences continue to change. With cases on the rise again and the science continuing to evolve around virus variants, the university may put face-covering requirements in place as needed this fall to protect our community. In the meantime, we may also have members of the community who want to take extra levels of precaution. In alignment with our university’s core values, we should always act with Respect and Care towards one another and support personal decisions made in the name of health and safety. We will continue to follow the advice of public health experts and state guidelines when making policy decisions for the university.
While face coverings can slow transmission of COVID-19, the most effective way to keep our campus safe is a high level of vaccination within our community. The deadline for students to upload their vaccination card to the Bentley Health Portal or submit a medical or religious exemption request has passed. Please upload your vaccination card immediately if you have not already done so to avoid risk of deregistration. Instructions for uploading information to the portal and answers to additional questions can be found at bentley.edu/vaccination.
As always, we will share any new health and safety guidelines with you by email and at bentley.edu/backtobentley.
Geoffrey C. Bartlett, CEM
Director of Emergency Management