Hello everyone! In today’s blog, I’m going to discuss the recent outbreak of COVID at Amherst, and how the College has handled the increase in cases. If you have any questions at all, please email me at sgoldsmith24@amherst.edu.

COVID on Campus

For most of the pandemic, Amherst College has had very few (if not zero) active COVID cases on campus. Amherst’s COVID Dashboard has graphs that compare our COVID rates to those of our county, our state, and the country, and it is clear that we have done very well and that the significant measures the College has taken over the last two years have been effective.

An influx of COVID cases on campus started last weekend (around 2/25). I have heard that people think it was due to a combination of athletes traveling for competitions and subsequent close contact that happens at parties on weekends. Throughout the entire pandemic, COVID cases on campus have been very low (if not nonexistent), and this is the first time that the College has had to take measures as a response to COVID cases on campus, rather than as general precautionary measures for the community.

What happens if you get COVID?

Students at Amherst currently have to get a PCR COVID test three times a week. If the test comes back positive (test turnaround time is around 13 hours), someone from the Keefe Health Center calls the student, and they are given time to pack some belongings and decide whether they want to go home (if they live close enough to campus) or isolate in one of the hotels that Amherst has held as isolation space for any positive cases. Student are allowed a half hour of outdoor time each day, and have to isolate for five full days before taking a COVID test. If they still have enough viral load to receive a positive, they test again two days later, and hopefully are released.

Recent Changes on Campus

After the influx of cases, Amherst changed our COVID status from Level 1 to Level 2, which means that some stringent protocols are put in place. Val (the dining hall) can only be at 50% capacity, and we must get tested three times a week instead of twice. These precautions will be rolled back soon, and the College has said that they will reconsider the masking rules that are currently in place after spring break, depending on the number of cases on campus.

Thank you for reading!!