Editor’s Note: This story by Nora Doyle-Burr first appeared in the Valley News on Aug. 30.
HANOVER — Dartmouth College has delayed the return to in-person work for some employees and is ramping up Covid-19 testing for vaccinated workers as Covid-19 transmission increases in the state, according to Dartmouth’s chief human resources officer.
Employees who have not yet returned to campus and who do not work directly with students now are slated to continue remote work until Oct. 4, Scot Bemis, the chief HR officer, announced in a Friday email to the community. That’s a delay of a month for workers who were previously slated to return at the beginning of September.
The college pushed back those workers’ return to reduce the density of people on campus as fall classes commence and Covid-19 transmission in the state rises, Bemis wrote. Dartmouth will provide an update on the decision next month.
Dartmouth is also requiring all employees who will be working on college properties to be vaccinated against Covid-19 and to show proof by Sept. 1. Workers can request medical and religious exemptions from the policy.
The college also is increasing Covid-19 surveillance testing for vaccinated employees from every 30 days to weekly, Bemis announced. Unvaccinated employees who are coming to campus are still required to test twice a week. Employees who are working remotely do not need to participate in surveillance testing.
