Abigail Chang is a managing editor for the Middlebury Campus, where a version of this story was originally published.
MIDDLEBURY — After 34 new Covid-19 cases were reported on campus, Middlebury College has decided to move all classes online.
The latest surge has brought the total number of active cases within the college community to 50, school administrators said in an email Thursday evening.
In addition, all athletic competitions and other in-person events have been canceled or postponed, the letter said. The new restrictions took effect at 5 a.m. Friday and included a limit of six people for all informal indoor gatherings. The directives are to remain in effect for the remainder of the semester.
Provost Jeff Cason and Dean of Faculty Sujata Moorti notified faculty in a 6:15 p.m. email Thursday that they would need to move Friday’s classes and next week’s exams online. Students were told to depart from campus as early as possible instead of waiting until after they take their finals.
The college also planned to end indoor dining beginning Friday morning, with plans to offer grab-and-go meals instead.
The announcement about the new restrictions arrived at the end of Midd-Kid Night and Midd Night Strolls, when many students were in town to take advantage of holiday deals.
The college’s Covid-19 reporting dashboard was updated around 2 p.m. Thursday with 10 new positive cases, bringing the total number of reported active cases on campus at that time to 22, their highest point since the start of the pandemic. This record was previously set the day before when the college reported 10 new student cases.
The additional cases reported in the administrators’ email appear to have come in after the dashboard was updated.
[Looking for data on breakthrough cases? See our reporting on the latest available statistics.]
The college is seeing cases in clusters, and most of those who have tested positive have been fully vaccinated, Associate Vice President for Public Affairs Julia Ferrante said in an email to The Campus on Thursday afternoon.
The college has not required Covid-19 testing for all students throughout this semester — though unvaccinated students and in-season varsity athletes on teams that travel are required to get tested regularly.
The recent email outlined opportunities for testing and included a link to bookings for optional asymptomatic testing on Friday and optional departure testing on Dec. 13-16. Previously, the college had offered asymptomatic testing on Mondays, with more optional testing dates clustered around Thanksgiving break. This week, it offered additional asymptomatic testing on Wednesday.
“Regional travel for students in isolation or quarantine may be possible, but will need to be approved by Health Services to ensure that public safety procedures are understood and followed,” the announcement also said.
The email from administrators followed an earlier message from the Student Government Association announcing that the free movie screenings for students at the local theater, part of the Midd-Kid Night events in town, had been postponed. The email also urged students not to go to “Bar Night,” a Thursday-night tradition at Two Brothers Tavern on Main Street.
“Given the COVID-19 prevalence on campus, we ask that students engage with the town and peers in a safe and respectful manner. Wear your masks and social distance as deemed appropriate,” student government President Roni Lezama said in the email.
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