While the city of Hartford rescinded the executive order regarding face coverings our COVID Steering Committee is recommending that we maintain indoor mask wearing consistent with guidance from the CDC that recommends indoor mask wearing at institutions of higher education.

Faculty, staff, students, and visitors must wear face coverings for all indoor activities and in common areas (classrooms, event spaces, and hallways) except when alone, such as in a private office or in college sponsored housing. While outside and going about daily outdoor activities (e.g., walking/running, small gatherings on the quad, small meetings, and while eating), members of our community are not required to wear masks.

Given the increased transmission of variants of COVID-19, mask wearing will now be required for all attendees at outdoor college- and student-sponsored events and gatherings. We have made this change out of an abundance of caution and it will remain in effect for the foreseeable future. While outside and going about daily outdoor activities, members of our community are not required to wear masks at this time.

The college’s COVID-19 Steering Committee, in consultation with event and space managers from across campus, is implementing the following adjustments to capacity limits for indoor, non-classroom events:

• Student organization meetings and department meetings: 100 percent capacity
• Performing arts (Cinestudio, theater and dance performances, and other non-interactive performances): 100 percent capacity
• The Chapel:
  • Trinity College Chapel: 200 people
  • Crypt Chapel: 25 people
  • Friendship Chapel: 25 people

• Campus meeting spaces, such as Washington Room, Hamlin Hall, Dangremond Commons, and Reese Room:
  • Lectures/presentations/meetings: 100 percent capacity
  • Supervised social gatherings: 75 percent capacity

• Student social houses (Greek life, theme, cultural, and social houses):
  • Group/organization meetings: 100 percent capacity
  • Social gatherings: up to 50 percent capacity

• Athletic facilities: 100 percent capacity unless otherwise noted in order to meet NCAA or NESCAC COVID policies.

The Events and Campus Operations Office has updated the gathering guidelines document with these new capacity limits for gathering sizes. Our visitor policies, mask wearing, and other health and safety protocols remain in place.

Reduced density sit-down dining will be available in Mather Hall and in The Cave. Face coverings must be worn until you are seated to eat your meal. Outdoor seating options for dining will be available on the Cave patio. The Bistro will be open for grab-and-go options only. Dining will be limited to Mather Hall as we re-populate campus, and all dining options will be available on September 8.

Students feeling ill and seeking medical treatment or advice should contact the Health Center during normal business hours or the Campus Safety Department after the Health Center has closed. Employees will follow their departmental call-out procedures and discuss alternative work arrangements with their supervisor when able to work.

Employees and students are required to be vaccinated in order to be on campus. Please upload your vaccination card to the student health portal. It is essential that you submit proof of vaccination prior to your return to campus. Students must complete this step by August 23, and all employees should have submitted their proof of vaccination by now.

A small number of our faculty, staff, and students have been given exemptions. These individuals will be required to be tested weekly and to wear masks in all public settings.

Students that do not submit their vaccination card or who are not granted a medical or religious exemption will not be able to live or study on campus. The college will not specifically develop a remote learning option for students that are not vaccinated or that have not been granted an approved exemption. These students will not be enrolled in courses.

To return to campus, the vaccination must be completed by August 23, 2021. This requirement is necessary to protect the health and safety of our community. Trinity will accommodate students who have a medical contraindication that prevents them from complying with this requirement. We are also now accepting requests for religious exemptions.

The process is the same for students, faculty, and staff:

1. Take a picture of your vaccination card showing a completed series (2 doses of Moderna and Pfizer, 1 dose of Janssen – Johnson &Johnson)
2. Go to https://trinity.studenthealthportal.com
3. Use your Trinity College credentials to sign into the portal
4. Select “My Forms” from the banner at top of page
5. Select the option, “COVID 19 Immunization”
6. Enter the dates of your dose(s) in the column that matches the manufacturer of your vaccine
7. Choose the “Upload” box and upload the image of your vaccination card

Testing will take place in the grey medical trailer located between the Ferris parking lot and the baseball stadium. Appointments for a test are not required; all tests will be walk-ups and we will not utilize the CoVerified app. Once test results are determined, students will receive an email notification and view results via a web portal that will be made available soon.

Any student who feels ill can call the Health Center to be tested. Employees who do not feel well should remain home and seek assistance from their health care provider. The Health Center will not be testing vaccinated employees.

Weekly testing for unvaccinated individuals with approved exemptions and surveillance testing will take place on Mondays and Tuesdays from 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.

We will begin weekly surveillance PCR testing for all vaccinated students on September 6. Approximately 10 to 15 percent of this population will be tested each week. Students will be scheduled based on the last digit of their Trinity ID number and the first letter of their last name. This will help us test a cross section of students. Students will be notified via email a week prior to their scheduled test.

Testing for students who are experiencing symptoms and any follow-up tests will take place at the Health Center on weekdays from 8:30 a.m.–10:00 a.m. and by appointment at other times. If you feel ill or are experiencing COVID symptoms, please call 860-297-2018 to schedule an appointment.

We will monitor the health and safety of community and modify our testing plans if needed.

As we did last year, we will maintain a dashboard that provides the Trinity community with information about the presence of COVID-19 on campus and our efforts to mitigate its spread. The dashboard will report key data about the number of currently active cases among our community, the number of students in isolation or quarantine, and cumulative data on our campus testing program.

The current case counts will be updated twice per week (beginning the week of September 8, 2021). The testing pool will only include our surveillance program for our vaccinated student population and weekly testing for individuals who have been granted a medical and religious exemption.

FULLY VACCINATED students who test positive in surveillance testing will receive a medical evaluation and will be placed in isolation for 10 days.

UNVACCINATED AND NOT FULLY VACCINATED students who test positive will be isolated for 10 days.

FULLY VACCINATED students who are exposed to someone with confirmed COVID-19 as “close contacts“ do not need to quarantine after exposure if they are asymptomatic and have no immunocompromising medical issues. Those individuals will be required to wear masks for 14 days AND obtain a COVID-19 test in the Health Center five days after exposure. If the test is negative and they remain asymptomatic, they not quarantined as stated above. If positive and/or symptomatic , isolation will be required for 10 days.

UNVACCINATED AND NOT FULLY VACCINATED quarantine. If they live in a single-occupancy residence they may do so there, but if they are in a multi-occupancy residential space, they will need to move to campus quarantine housing.

STAFF AND FACULTY who are exposed to someone with a confirmed COVID-19 infection as “close contacts” (either on campus or in their home communities) will follow the same procedures as fully vaccinates or unvaccinated/not fully vaccinated students. Employees who have questions about whether they should quarantine if they are identified as a close contact may contact Human Resources for additional guidance.

As we did last year, we have set aside a small number of spaces for quarantine and isolation housing. Our off-campus isolation housing is adjacent to campus and students in these locations will receive meal delivery and support. Students in these locations understand that they will not leave their living quarters while isolation.

Staff and faculty who test positive should inform Human Resources and are asked to isolate at home until cleared by their health care provider.

On June 25, 2021, The New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) announced a return to full conference schedules and championships this fall. Trinity College also plans to offer a full array of club sports, recreational fitness and intramural activities, as well as a resumption of normal hours in the fitness center.

Students participating in employee supervised athletic and recreational activities (practices and competitions) will not be required to wear masks outdoors during those activities as long as all participants and instructors are vaccinated.

Instructors and students engaged in theater, dance, and singing activities will not be required to wear masks if they are outdoors and all are vaccinated.

We remain highly concerned about the transmissibility of the COVID -19 virus and variants. Recent information from the CDC indicates that the COVID 19 delta variant has been transmitted among vaccinated people in highly dense social settings. Therefore, we are putting in place the following requirements for student-sponsored social events.

• Student social houses (Greek life, theme, cultural, and social houses):
  • Group/organization meetings: 100 percent capacity
  • Social gatherings: up to 50 percent capacity
• Student organization meetings and department meetings: 100 percent capacity
• The student group advisor and assigned event supervisor(s) will establish the event capacity and appropriate supervision based on the event type and the non-academic space capacity guiding principles.

Please refer to the Gathering Guidelines Document for specifics.

Visitors and invited guests are welcome on campus, and they must wear masks in both indoor and outdoor settings. Visitors attending or participating in an indoor event will be required to show proof of vaccination to event organizers.

The Events and Campus Operations Office has developed a detailed guide to help faculty, staff, and students plan their indoor and outdoor activities within the college’s health and safety protocols for face coverings, gathering sizes, catering, and visitor policies. The guide includes specific information about space and attendance capacities, procedures for visitors, food and dining, and more.

The college’s COVID-19 Steering Committee continues to monitor the transmission rates in the region and the spread of the Delta variant. As always, we are guided by the State of Connecticut’s policies and recommendations, as well as recommendations from public health and infectious disease experts and organizations. Safety, health, and well-being remain our all-important guiding principles as we make decisions about policies and procedures.

Visitors and invited guests are welcome on campus, and they must wear masks in both indoor and outdoor settings. Visitors attending or participating in an indoor event will be required to show proof of vaccination to event organizers.

The current travel policy will remain in place at this time. Faculty and staff may participate in college sponsored travel in accordance with CDC travel guidance, which differentiates between vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals. It also has guidance specific to domestic and international travel. International college sponsored travel by employees is prohibited to all areas categorized by the CDC as Level 4 risks, where the COVID-19 level is “very high.” Such travel to Level 3 areas is permissible in very limited circumstances and must be approved by a division head.

Please email [email protected] with questions or feedback. Many answers will be developed in the coming days as we continue to monitor the situation locally and globally and as we make decisions based on guidance from the state and other authorities and the best interests of all members of our community.

Students will begin to arrive on campus on August 22. Students will receive a detailed message from The Bantam Network Residential Learning Community about arrival plans. Students who have not uploaded their vaccination card or who have not been granted an exemption will not be allowed on campus. Students will not be able to opt out of this requirement as classes (with very few exceptions) will be in-person. 

As part of arrival, all students will be required to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test (PCR, not rapid/antigen) that was administered within 72 hours of arrival.

Only students who are unvaccinated and have an approved exemption will be tested upon arrival to campus. Vaccinated students will not be tested.

We are asking that all students and family members wear masks while inside residence halls during move-in. No more than two family members are allowed to assist with move-in and they do not need to present a negative COVID-19 test. We strongly encourage family members to be vaccinated if they plan to be present on campus.