COVID-19 Community Dashboard
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Alert Status
To provide a safe learning and working environment for our learners, staff and faculty, UMass Chan has four alert levels representing on-campus safety:
- Green: most campus operations may occur
- Yellow: campus operations may be limited
- Orange: significant limitations on campus operations
- Red: all nonessential activities may be restricted to remote
COVID-19 Community Dashboard
Health and Safety Protocols
UMass Chan Medical School is committed to providing a safe learning and working environment for our learners, staff and faculty. On this page, we provide links to our current protocols and policies, a summary of our SARS-CoV-2 surveillance testing dashboard and our current campus alert status.
Learn more about our alert status definitions below.
View the SARS-CoV-2 surveillance testing dashboard.
Alert Status Definitions
UMass Chan Medical School has established four alert levels to represent the status of access to campus for education, research and administrative operations and to guide decisions for on-campus teaching and learning, research and other activities for the UMass Chan Worcester campus and the South Street and Maple Avenue campuses in Shrewsbury.
We have revised the alert status definitions, because since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, much has been learned, including a better understanding of the COVID-19 virus; the development of evidence-based best practices for masking and distancing; the widespread availability of testing and – importantly – the availability of safe, highly-effective and accessible vaccines.
The UMass Chan contingency planning group, chaired by Terence R. Flotte, MD, executive deputy chancellor, provost and dean of the T.H. Chan School of Medicine, includes leaders from the three graduate schools; infection control; facilities; student life; and campus operations. The group evaluates data from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health interactive dashboard, and from UMass Chan’s COVID-19 testing program and uses other research and education resources to inform decisions regarding the alert level.
At all alert levels during this pandemic, COVID-19 mitigation strategies continue, including weekly surveillance testing for UMass Chan learners and employees; strict adherence to masking, distancing and gathering guidelines; regular consultation with state and local public health officials as to prevalence of infection, availability of testing, vaccination and health care resources and, importantly, the ability to take advantage of remote teaching, learning and working tools.
Alert Color Key:
Alert Level Green
Most campus operations may occur while following state guidelines on density in the workplace.
GREEN
- COVID-19 mitigation strategies continue as outlined above
- On-site learning/educational experiences:
- on-site face-to-face learning (small groups, for example) may be permitted if aligned with state guidelines on density and distancing
- on-site student activities/events/co-curricular gatherings may be permitted if aligned with state guidelines on gathering sizes (indoor and outdoor), and with permission from the Office of Student Life, utilizing the event approval process
- Visitors:
- visitors are permitted on campus with escort and upon permission by department head
- visiting students, residents, researchers and scholars are permitted aligned with national guidelines from educational and academic organizations
Alert Level Yellow
Campus operations may be limited.
YELLOW
- COVID-19 mitigation strategies continue as outlined above
- On-site learning/educational experiences:
- on-site face-to-face learning (small groups and conferences, for example) may be permitted if aligned with state guidelines on density and distancing; specific experiences are reviewed by the academic contingency planning group
- conference rooms may be booked for small group learning, with appropriate distancing and mask use
- research activities in laboratory settings may continue with masking and social distancing measures
- on-site student activities/events/co-curricular gatherings may be permitted if aligned with state guidelines on gathering sizes (indoor and outdoor), and with permission from the Office of Student Life, utilizing the event approval process
- Visitors:
- visitors, including vendors, may be permitted on campus with escort and upon permission by department head in select circumstances of recruitment of learners and faculty, on an individual basis; group visits may be permitted in select circumstances with permission of the provost
- visiting students, residents, researchers and scholars for clinical or GME rotations are permitted in accordance with recommendations from the appropriate national organization; specific clinical and research experiences may be reviewed by the academic contingency planning group
Alert Level Orange
Significant limitations on campus operations may be implemented.
Orange
- COVID-19 mitigation strategies continue as outlined above
- On-site learning/educational experiences:
- clinical activities in the T.H. Chan School of Medicine and Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing may continue, including advanced, required and elective experiences and early clinical experiences (i.e., LPP, DCS2 in the T.H. Chan School of Medicine); specific experiences are reviewed by the academic contingency planning group and some clinical experiences may be modified if indicated by community trends
- face-to-face learning on-site (small groups, conferences) will be suspended unless approved by the contingency planning group
- conference rooms used for small group learning may have additional restrictions
- research activities in laboratory settings may continue with social distancing measures and the expectation that work that can be performed off-site should be conducted off-site
- no on-site student activities/events/co-curricular gatherings, either indoors or outdoors
- Visitors:
- no visitors are permitted on campus, other than vendors required to attend to critical infrastructure needs, or by permission of the provost
- short-term visits by students, researchers and scholars are permitted only with permission of the academic contingency planning group
- residents in required rotations are permitted in accordance with GME program guidlines
Alert Level Red
All nonessential activities may be restricted to remote.
Red
- COVID-19 mitigation strategies continue as outlined above
- On-site learning/educational experiences:
- Advanced clinical activities in the T.H. Chan School of Medicine and Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing may continue, including advanced required and elective experiences; specific experiences are reviewed by the academic contingency planning group and some clinical experiences may be modified if indicated by community trends
- Early clinical experiences are paused (i.e., LPP, DCS2 in the T.H. Chan School of Medicine)
- all other face-to-face learning on site (small groups, conferences) will be remote
- reduction of on-site laboratory personnel may be implemented
- no on-site student activities/events/co-curricular gatherings, either indoors or outdoors
- Library may be closed
- ASC cafeteria may be closed
- Visitors:
- no visitors are permitted on campus, other than vendors required to attend to critical infrastructure needs, or by permission of the provost
- no short-term visiting students, residents, researchers and scholars permitted (for example, visiting students in the T.H. Chan School of Medicine for clinical rotations, visiting residents in GME for elective rotations)