Dear Members of the Hamilton Community,
On Friday, Feb. 5, Colgate moved to Gate 1, which allows more freedom of movement for students and the resumption of in-person instruction. The University was able to make this move with the support of the Health Analytics Team (HAT), Emergency Operations Center, and Task Force on Reopening, based on an analysis of all 2,459 test results from our second round of arrival testing (and, thus, three rounds of testing in all).
These recent results yielded nine total new cases of COVID-19. Visit the HAT dashboard for regular status updates on campus community health as well as data on conditions around the state, region, and county.
Beginning this week, Colgate will begin testing 50% of the on-campus population every seven days, in keeping with our surveillance testing protocol. This testing approach is designed to see us safely and efficiently through Gate 1, which allows students to:
- gather outdoors in groups of 10 or fewer people while maintaining appropriate physical distance and masking requirements
- go to indoor supervised spaces, including dining halls, libraries, and classrooms (occupancy levels have been reduced)
- socialize in their own residence hall common rooms, following face coverings and physical distancing guidelines
- utilize athletic facilities
- go to off-campus businesses, within the range of the Colgate Shuttle, in groups of four or fewer
You can visit colgate.edu/gates for more Gate 1 details.
The University continues to engage with the Madison County Department of Health on the potential for vaccine distribution, based on New York State eligibility guidelines. Any plans depend on vaccine supply, however. And, as I’m sure you know, doses are currently limited due to federal government allocation. I will be sure to provide an update as soon as new information is available.
In the meanwhile, please be well and keep warm.
Sincerely,
Laura H. Jack
Vice President for Communications