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Dear Members of the Bentley Community,

We’re less than two weeks away from the Thanksgiving break, which will mark the end of the on-campus experience for students for the fall trimester with all remaining classes continuing remotely. Since last week, we’ve seen new spikes of COVID-19 cases on campus, with 25 students testing positive since last Thursday. Last Friday, Massachusetts’ new guidelines went into effect imposing a stay-at-home order from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. and a reduction in occupancy limits for indoor gatherings. Together, these instances resulted in a few new on-campus guidelines aimed at making sure we get to Thanksgiving as safely as possible.

New On-Campus Guidelines
In response to last week’s spike in cases and the governor’s new guidelines, the following updates have been made to campus until the Thanksgiving break:

• Visitation between all residence halls and dorm rooms will be required to end by 10 p.m. Existing limitations on visitors in residence halls remain in place and include maintaining six feet of distance, keeping doors open for ventilation and keeping face coverings on.
• The Bentley Harvard Square shuttle service will end earlier, and the final shuttle will leave Harvard Square at 8 p.m. from Friday to Sunday to ensure students are back on campus before the stay-at-home order begins. The Harvard Square shuttle will continue to operate until 10 p.m. from Monday to Thursday, and the B-Line shuttle will continue to operate on campus until 10 p.m.
• The Fitness Center and pool, as well as all in-person dining will close at 9:30 p.m. Late night take-out service will continue after 9:30 p.m. at Harry’s and Currito.

Exit Screening Testing
As a reminder, students will have an opportunity to obtain a final COVID-19 screening test on campus before leaving for Thanksgiving break. Students can either opt to get tested the week prior to Thanksgiving at their regularly scheduled time and return home to finish their remaining classes remotely, or schedule a test on Monday, Nov. 23, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. by visiting bentley.edu/testing. If any students are unable to schedule a test on Nov. 23, they can contact an off-campus testing center as outlined here.

Isolation, Quarantine and Thanksgiving
As we are less than two weeks away from Thanksgiving, it is critically important that students on campus recognize the quarantine and isolation timeline and remain responsible in this final stretch. If a student is identified as a close contact, they will be required to quarantine for 14 days regardless of if they test negative. If a student needs to travel home by a method other than a non-stop trip in a personal car, that means they run the risk of being required by the state to remain in quarantine over Thanksgiving. Please be mindful of that in these last two weeks and remain vigilant and smart in your social interactions.  

COVID-19 Dashboard
Since the start of the fall trimester, 98 positive cases have been reported on the dashboard. With 41,612 total tests administered, that leaves us at a 0.24% positivity rate.

Geoffrey C. Bartlett, CEM
Director of Emergency Management