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Dear Bentley Community,

COVID-19 case rates and hospitalizations continue to rise in nearly every state across the country. Here in Massachusetts, 88% of new and ongoing clusters are linked to household transmission and social gatherings, prompting the governor to issue new orders to limit personal gatherings, in-person dining and services, and a 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. stay-at-home advisory beginning tomorrow. It’s important that we all do our part to reduce the risk of spreading the coronavirus by closely following these new guidelines.

New Massachusetts Guidelines
The 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. stay-at-home advisory that will be instituted starting tomorrow allows going out for groceries or health needs, but should otherwise be closely observed. Bentley students have long had a strong relationship with the City of Waltham, and it’s important that we continue to be good neighbors with the community by following these new guidelines.

Between the hours of 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. it is still permissible to travel for work or school, seeking emergency medical care, picking up take-out food or receiving deliveries. Resident students should plan to be back on campus by 10 p.m. The governor also ordered certain types of establishments to close or end some operations at 9:30 p.m., therefore, the following changes are required beginning on Friday:

• The Fitness Center and pool will close at 9:30 p.m.
• In-person dining will stop at 9:30 p.m. Late night take out will continue after 9:30 p.m. at Harry’s and Currito.

We are reviewing the guidelines that are already in place for residence halls and guests (keeping doors open for increased airflow, maintaining six feet of physical distance and wearing face coverings) to ensure we are in compliance with the new Massachusetts orders. Once the review is completed, changes to our guidelines, if any, will be communicated via a campus email. Our policy requiring face coverings indoors and outside is consistent with the governor’s new order.

The library and in-person classes will continue to operate and are not impacted by the change in guidelines.

Exit Screening Testing
We recognize that many residential students would like the option to undergo one final COVID-19 screening test prior to returning home for Thanksgiving break. Like Massachusetts, many states require that individuals traveling from out of state be able to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test result or quarantine for 14 days. Students are responsible for meeting the requirements of their destination state or country. Students may decide to travel within an appropriate period of time after their final test during their regularly scheduled weekly appointment the week of Nov. 16 and finish their remaining classes before Thanksgiving remotely, obtain a test at an off-campus provider (see list below), or schedule a test on Monday, Nov. 23. 

To support students leaving campus, the screening test center will offer a limited number of appointments to students enrolled in the testing program on Monday, Nov. 23, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Visit bentley.edu/testing to make an appointment. Test results are typically available within 24 hours, and students should plan their travel accordingly.

If you are unable to schedule an appointment on campus for Nov. 23, you can contact the following testing centers in the Waltham area:
Physician One Urgent Care Waltham
1019 Trapelo Rd, Waltham, MA 02452
781 -736 -1800 

CVS Waltham - Minute Clinic
800 Lexington Street, Waltham, MA 02154

Charles River Community Health – Waltham
43 Foundry Ave, Waltham, MA 02453
781 -693 –3800

Walgreens Drive Thru COVID Testing - Waltham
80 River St, Waltham, MA 02453

Mass General Waltham
52 Second Ave, Waltham, MA, 02451
617 -724 -7000

Post-Thanksgiving Campus Operations
Plans for campus operations following the Thanksgiving break will be announced in the coming weeks for those faculty and staff who will need to remain on campus after students move out. 

COVID-19 Dashboard
Since the start of the fall trimester, 73 positive cases have been reported on the dashboard. With 37,503 total tests administered, that leaves us at a 0.20% positivity rate.

We’re a few short weeks away from Thanksgiving. Be sure that you continue to do your part to ensure that our community stays healthy and safe.

Geoffrey C. Bartlett, CEM
Director of Emergency Management