Return to Campus: Health and Safety

Science and research have determined that COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective in preventing virus infection in real-world conditions. We look forward to broadening immunity and increasingly positive public health as they have become widely available. All individuals aged 16 or older who live, work or study in Massachusetts are now eligible to receive them.

Therefore, in the interest both of public health and the ongoing health of our campus community, along with an increasing number of colleges and universities nationwide, Curry College requires all enrolled students on both our Milton and Plymouth campuses to be fully vaccinated. This includes Continuing Education and graduate students, as well as undergraduate resident (including international) and commuter students.

View the College’s vaccination rate status dashboard here.

Curry has had the benefit of a high vaccination rate for our community, which has helped to keep our campus as safe and healthy as possible over the course of the fall semester. In the interest of the continuing health of our Curry community and in keeping with CDC recommendations for public health, the COVID-19 vaccination booster is required for all Curry students, faculty, and staff members on both campuses this spring.

• Proof of a vaccination booster needs to be uploaded to the CoVerified app before you return to campus on January 24, if currently eligible or within 30 days of eligibility. Instructions for how to upload your vaccine status may be found here.

Please be advised that if you are eligible for the booster and have not received it, you are considered unvaccinated and you will be required to quarantine on or off campus if you are a close contact. Therefore, it is important that you get your booster for health and safety reasons.

Anyone 16 and older is eligible to receive a booster five months after the second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or two months after the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Boosters are widely available, but they are in high demand, so if you have not yet received your booster, please schedule an appointment as soon as possible. To find an appointment location, use the Massachusetts COVID-19 vaccine finder or Vaccines.gov. Boosters are also available at CVS or Walgreens. 

If you have been granted an exemption from COVID-19 vaccination by the College, you are also exempt from the booster shot requirement.

Onboard testing will be required for all members of the Curry community (including all commuter and residential students, faculty, and staff, regardless of vaccination status) before the start of the spring 2022 semester, as follows:

Fully Vaccinated Students:
Must conduct their own PCR test off campus within seven days prior to return to campus or a rapid home test within 24 hours prior to return to campus and provide a report of their test result to the College via the CoVerified app before arrival. We strongly encourage scheduling an appointment for a PCR or Antigen test at a testing site, pharmacy, or urgent care. 

• Instructions on how to upload test results to the app may be found here. If you are uploading a home test, you need to take a photo of the card with your name, date, and time you took the test. Take the photo next to your Curry College ID. Here is an example.
• For students within driving distance, Curry’s Covid Clinic at the Cottage will offer onboarding tests for students ONLY next week on Wednesday, Jan 19 from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.
• PCR testing is also available at CVS and Walgreens
• If you have tested positive for COVID and are in the 90-day immunity period, you do not need to onboard test but please remember to upload your test results to CoVerified if you have not already.

Unvaccinated Students with Approved Exemptions:
Must conduct their own PCR test off campus within seven days prior to return to campus or a rapid home test within 24 hours prior to return to campus and provide a report of their test result to the College via the CoVerified app before arrival. We strongly encourage scheduling an appointment for a PCR or Antigen test at a testing site, pharmacy, or urgent care. 

• Instructions on how to upload test results to the app may be found here. If you are uploading a home test, you need to take a photo of the testing card with your name, date, and time you took the test. Take the photo next to your Curry College ID.
• For students within driving distance, Curry’s Covid Clinic at the Cottage will offer onboarding tests for students ONLY next week Wednesday, Jan 19 from 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
• PCR testing is also available at CVS and Walgreens
• If you have tested positive for COVID and are in the 90-day immunity period, you do not need to onboard test but please remember to upload your test results to CoVerified if you have not already.

***On-campus surveillance testing will be required during the first two weeks of the spring semester. This will be once weekly for the first two weeks for residential students, student athletes, and other specific selected populations. This testing will be conducted at Cottage. Further details will be forthcoming. Please note that testing protocols may change due to changing campus or public health situations.

Faculty and Staff Arriving on Campus for the First Time after January 14^th:
Must conduct their own PCR test off campus within seven days prior to return to campus or a rapid home test within 24 hours prior to return to campus, and provide a report of their test result to the College via the CoVerified app before arrival.  

• Instructions on how to upload test results to the app may be found here. If you are uploading a home test, you need to take a photo of the testing card with your name, date, and time you took the test. Take the photo next to your Curry College ID. Here is an example.
• PCR testing is available at CVS and Walgreens
• If you have tested positive for COVID and are in the 90-day immunity period, you do not need to onboard test but please remember to upload your test results to CoVerified if you have not already.
• Faculty and staff who onboarded during the first week of January do not need to test again.
• Due to the intensity of managing this latest variant, Curry’s Covid Clinic WILL NOT be conducting onboard or surveillance testing for faculty and staff for the time being. Surveillance testing will ONLY be available during the first two weeks of the semester for residential students, student athletes, and other specific selected populations.
• The College is working to secure home rapid tests to be provided to any faculty or staff who has not already onboard tested. Additional details will follow.

We encourage any faculty and staff to stay home if you are feeling sick or exhibiting any symptoms.

All students, faculty and staff must submit proof of vaccination to the College via the CoVerified application. Instructions for how to upload your vaccination status may be found here. Please note that you should wait until you are fully vaccinated to upload your status.

Incoming first-year students should also enter their vaccination status on their Health Forms where indicated.

If you need help downloading the CoVerified App, please click on these instructions: Curry College CoVerified Instructions.

Instructions on how to upload vaccine records.

• Take a photo of your completed COVID19 Vaccine Card
• Open the CoVerified App on your phone
• Tap on the word "Report"
• Tap on the phrase "Upload Vaccine Record"
• Fill in the quick form and upload your vaccine card photo.
• Tap the word "Submit" and you're done!

Check out our troubleshooting guidance for help with some common issues with upload.

If you are still unable to upload your status, please contact Enrollment Management at 617-333-2125 or enrollmentmanagement@curry.edu.

Please note that vaccine uploads must be approved by the College once they are submitted. Please allow 24 hours for the process to be completed.

If you are fully vaccinated, have uploaded your vaccine status to CoVerified, and it has been approved, your app will now automatically display CLEARED at all times (until approval is processed, it will continue to display RESTRICTED).

If you are NOT fully vaccinated, your app will display CLEARED as long as you have conducted the required COVID-19 testing on schedule and have a negative result in the app, and have conducted your required daily symptom checker in the app.

*Please be aware that in various places on campus, students may be asked to show the app status screen or a website printout to demonstrate their campus status as “Cleared.” Anyone seeking entry to campus must also display “Cleared” status in order to gain access to campus via the front gate, unless otherwise permitted.

As with all College vaccine requirements, exemptions may be made for medical or religious reasons.

To request an exemption from COVID-19 vaccination, you were required to fill out the application form on the MyCurry portal and submit the required documentation by July 15 for students and July 30 for faculty and staff.*

APPLICATION FORM ON MYCURRY PORTAL

All requests for exemptions will be addressed within two weeks of submission.

The College’s Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination Policy may be found here.

*Please note that these deadlines have passed- please contact Health Services if you are a student or Human Resources if you are an employee for information related to late submission of the form.

The College’s vaccination policy requires that persons who are not fully vaccinated but who have received an exemption must continue to engage in Curry College’s existing COVID-19 safety protocols, including but not limited to:

• Participate in additional on-board testing.
  • All students with approved exemptions will need to produce a negative PCR test conducted off campus within 72 hours prior to moving in (residents) or arriving on campus (commuters). A rapid test will be conducted upon arrival to campus, followed by another on campus test 72 hours later (if prior tests are negative).
  • All employees with approved exemptions will need to produce a negative PCR test conducted off campus within 72 hours prior to arriving on campus (if you are arriving back for the first time), or participate in unobserved self-testing on campus the week of August 23 (if you have been coming to campus this summer).
• Participate in regular weekly surveillance testing.
• Report symptoms daily in the CoVerified app.
• Socially distance indoors as may be required.
• Wear a mask indoors and in enclosed spaces, and outdoors, if not able to socially distance.
• If you test positive or are identified as a close contact:
  • Students must enact their personal departure plans, and will be required to isolate and/or quarantine for 10 days (with testing on day 7 or 8, released on day 11). If you are a resident student and live within 200 miles of campus, you must enact your departure plan. Students who live more than 200 miles from Milton, MA may be placed in limited housing on campus. Unfortunately, room and board refunds will not be offered.
  • Employees must stay away from campus and remain isolated or quarantined away from campus for 10 days (with testing on day 7 or 8, released on day 11).

The College maintains an indoor mask requirement for ALL community members, regardless of vaccination status. Masks are required in any and all indoor public spaces on campus, including residence hall common spaces.

Effective Monday, November 1, Curry College will allow vaccinated varsity student-athletes, club sports student-athletes, and student performers to be unmasked indoors while actively participating in indoor athletic competition or indoor performances on the Curry campus

PLEASE NOTE:

• ALL unvaccinated individuals (including student-athletes and performers) ARE STILL REQUIRED to be masked indoors in all campus buildings and outdoors on campus, EVEN while actively competing or performing.
• All individuals (regardless of vaccination status) ARE STILL REQUIRED to be masked indoors in all campus buildings UNLESS actively playing in varsity or club athletic competition or performing. This includes spectators, coaches, athletic trainers, sideline personnel and support staff for competition and performances.
  • Masks MUST continue to be worn by all individuals for indoor weight room and conditioning trainings on campus, as well as while they are on the sidelines of competition or backstage/offstage indoors.
• In order to be unmasked for indoor competition or performance on campus, students are required to be tested for COVID-19 once a week.

Please note that effective immediately, following CDC guidelines, the following masks/facial coverings are no longer allowed to be used by students, faculty or staff in campus buildings:

• Neck gaiters (if single layered. Per the CDC, double layered gaiters are permitted)
• Bandanas
• Mesh masks
• Vented masks

Effective Sunday, January 23, 2022, the College will require all students, staff, faculty, and visitors to wear three-ply surgical masks. Proper masking is especially important with the Omicron variant and single-layer cloth masks no longer meet CDC guidance. Surgical masks will continue to be provided and stocked in all classrooms, and throughout campus. Masks will continue to be required to be worn in all indoor spaces on campus. 

We understand that some members of our community may have underlying health issue that makes it difficult for them to wear a mask, or may have disabilities that makes it difficult for them to understand those wearing them. We will work with individual students with specific needs pertaining to personal protective equipment. Please contact Health Services at 617-333-2182 or the Office of Disability Services at 617-333-2990 with questions related to individual student circumstances.

Changes may be made to this policy. We are closely following the developing public health situation with regard to COVID-19 variants and guidance from federal, state and local authorities, and will communicate any updates to the community promptly (noting that all protocols are subject to change based on changing campus and public health conditions).

Students must be fully vaccinated with a World Health Organization (WHO)-approved vaccine before arrival on campus. You may be vaccinated either abroad or in the United States, but you must be fully vaccinated and submit proof of vaccination to the College, or have been approved for an exemption, at least 14 days prior to returning to campus.

As of August 1, these are the seven vaccines approved for use by WHO:

• Moderna
• Pfizer/BioNTech
• Janssen (Johnson & Johnson)
• Oxford/AstraZeneca
• Serum Institute of India
• Sinopharm (Beijing)
• Sinovac

Please monitor the list online, as WHO may make changes, and plan to be vaccinated as soon as possible with one of these options.

We are unable to provide quarantine or isolation housing for students travelling to the United States ahead of the scheduled start-of-semester move-in to campus, so we ask that you make your travel and vaccination plans accordingly.

Information about surveillance testing throughout the spring 2022 semester will be forthcoming.

Only unvaccinated individuals with exemptions must conduct the daily health check in CoVerified. Vaccinated community members do not need to conduct the daily health check, but should stay home if not feeling well and call their PCP for further advisement. Vaccinated students who are not feeling well are required to contact Health Services immediately for further advisement.

While we no longer require the daily symptoms screening in CoVerified for members of our community, you still need to show your CLEARED app status to the front gate attendant to be admitted into campus. Please note:

• If you are fully vaccinated and have uploaded your vaccine status to CoVerified, your app will now automatically display CLEARED at all times.
• If you are NOT fully vaccinated, your app will display CLEARED as long as you have conducted the required COVID-19 testing on schedule and have a negative result in the app, and have conducted your required daily symptom checker in the app.

The College requests that all students, staff, faculty, and visitors enable the MassNotify app on their smartphones for COVID-19 exposure notification.

*Please be aware that in various places on campus, students may be asked to show the app status screen or a website printout to demonstrate their campus status as “Cleared.” Anyone seeking entry to campus must also display “Cleared” status in order to gain access to campus via the front gate, unless otherwise permitted.

Effective Sunday, January 23, 2022, the College will modify who is allowed to come to campus during the first week of classes. From Sunday, January 23 thru Friday, January 28 only individuals with a “cleared” on their CoVerified app will be allowed on campus. Exceptions include:

• Family members moving in students to residence halls on Sunday, January 23
• Individuals coming to campus for job interviews, vetted by Human Resources
• Prospective student and families coming to campus for limited tours, vetted by the Admissions Office
• Approved vendors and contractors

There are no restrictions on travel away from campus currently; however, if vaccinated or unvaccinated students, faculty or staff must travel at any time during the semester for business or personal purposes, we ask that they follow Massachusetts and CDC guidance for precautions, testing, quarantine or isolation as necessary. View recommendations related to domestic or international travel here.

Study Abroad and Study Away programs resumed in Fall 2021, with adherence to all public health guidance for travelers (vaccinated and unvaccinated). Please contact Mireille McLaughlin, Director of Global and Career Services at 617-333-2967 or studyabroad@curry.edu with questions or for more information about future study away or abroad.

Despite our vaccine requirement and proven effectiveness of vaccines, given uncertainties around variants, we are still prepared to navigate the possibility of a COVID-19 outbreak on our campus using best practices and guidance from state and federal agencies, as well as following our established emergency protocols including the Infectious Disease Preparedness & Response Plan developed by the College’s Emergency Preparedness Committee.

As we know cases may still occur, we are asking all resident students to have a Personal Departure Plan, should one become necessary, and residence hall spaces have been reserved should isolation and/or quarantine housing become necessary at any time. The health and safety of our entire community, especially our students, is our first priority.

If a student develops symptoms of COVID, he/she should immediately inform Health Services via phone at 617-333-2182 and arrange to be tested at the College’s Satellite Health Clinic in Cottage (which has been established solely for this purpose). Do not go in person to any medical provider without first speaking to medical staff over the phone for advice. Students should call Health Services at 617-333-2182 (8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.). Outside business hours, call Public Safety at 617-333-2222. Faculty and staff should contact their primary care provider.

A student who tests positive for COVID-19 and who lives within 200 miles of the College will be required to enact their Personal Departure Plan to isolate or quarantine at home immediately. A symptomatic or asymptomatic student who tests positive and lives more than 200 miles from the College will be immediately assigned a single room in the designated isolation housing space, where they will be required to remain for the designated isolation period (subject to change with changing guidance from public health authorities).

Students in isolation and quarantine spaces will have their own rooms with a micro-fridge, and meals will be delivered to them on a daily basis. Academic accommodations will also be provided for students in isolation or quarantine so that they can do their course work online. The Satellite Health Clinic staff will monitor students in this space via telehealth.

Any unvaccinated students who have been exposed (close contact to an individual who tested positive) will also be required to quarantine (either at home or on campus in designated quarantine space, depending on location of residence), as may be unvaccinated members of the student’s residential community (on a case-by-case basis).

Please note that the College is testing all close contacts 3-5 days after exposure, but following CDC guidance, if vaccinated they do not need to quarantine. Some close contacts are being tested twice on day 3-5 and then on day 7-10. View the CDC’s guidance here.

People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus.

People with these symptoms may have COVID-19*:

• Fever or chills
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Fatigue
• Muscle or body aches
• Headache
• New loss of taste or smell
• Sore throat
• Congestion or runny nose
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea

Look for emergency warning signs for COVID-19. If someone is showing any of these signs, seek emergency medical care immediately:

• Trouble breathing
• Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
• New confusion
• Inability to wake or stay awake
• Bluish lips or face

* This list is not all possible symptoms. Please call your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning to you.

This is a challenging time for us all, and we realize that students may need additional emotional, psychological, and physical support managing the difficulties that COVID-19 has created in our lives, even as we navigate resuming “normal” life. Our Counseling Center & Health Services staff remain fully available to assist students in managing their mental and physical health. To access help, students may contact Carol Moser our Administrative Assistant, either by calling the front desk at 617-333-2182 or email cmoser@curry.edu. Students will be directed to speak with the Clinician of the Day or a Nurse Practitioner who can provide support and guidance via a telehealth appointment.

The Counseling Center also offers a self-help resource for all Curry students. Students may access TAO Connect for anonymous online use at any time. TAO is free, and available with a Curry email account. Students may sign up with their Curry email by visiting the Counseling Center web page.