Hello Students,
We hope this message finds you healthy, safe, and doing well. The Public Health Response Team (PHRT) has been working hard to prepare for your arrival on campus, whether returning from your summer break or joining the Barnard community for the first time. We are excited to welcome you all and share some of the changes we’ve made to best fit the needs of our campus as we navigate the ever-changing landscape of the pandemic and other current public health concerns. This email is specific to our COVID-19-related policies and procedures, but please continue to look for correspondence from us about other important public health news soon.
All of our COVID-19 policies and procedures are created to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our community. Our policy decisions are data-driven and made thoughtfully in consultation with Columbia University Irving Medical Center infectious disease experts and Chief Health Officer, Dr. Marina Catallozzi. We are confident that, along with their collaboration and our layered approach to risk mitigation, we are well positioned to keep our community as healthy and safe as possible.
We invite students and their families to join us for a webinar on Friday, August 19th, from 12:00 to 12:45 PM EDT to review our COVID-19 updates and plans for the beginning of the semester. During this webinar, Leslie Grinage, Dean of the College; Marina Catallozzi MD, MSCE, Vice President of Health & Wellness and Chief Health Officer; and April Autry PA-C, MPH, Director of Public Health Response Team will share what to expect for the Fall semester.
If you would like to attend, please register now via this link. You may use this form to submit questions in advance by Wednesday, August 17th at 5 PM. A recording will be shared on the PHRT website to accommodate those unable to join us live.
We appreciate your careful attention to this email, which contains a lot of essential information for your arrival. Please review it entirely, and let us know if you have any additional questions by emailing us at phrt@barnard.edu.
Arrival Checklist
- You must take a pre-arrival COVID-19 test no more than 10 days before your campus arrival. This test must be a PCR test, not a home or antigen test, and uploaded into CoVerified. This will generate your “Green Screen,” which you’ll need to show upon first entry.
- NOTE: If you have tested positive for COVID-19 (with any type of test) in the last 90 days, you are EXEMPT from this pre-arrival testing requirement. You must email phrt@barnard.edu with these results, and we will advise next steps.
- Please be mindful of how you feel before you travel and on the day of your arrival. If you are sick, please do not come to campus.
- Everyone, especially those who travel or had other COVID-19 high-risk activity before moving in, should consider taking an antigen test once on campus. A limited number of these will be available on move-in days and in the Barnard testing center, so we encourage you to bring your own.
- Make sure you are in compliance with the College’s vaccine requirements and have submitted all necessary documentation.
Preparing to Arrive to Campus for All Students
Pre-Arrival Activities and Preparing to Test
- Consider how you can minimize your risk of illness before you travel, especially in the 1-2 weeks before your arrival to campus. Wear a high-quality mask (KN95, KF94, or N95) indoors wherever you can and avoid higher-risk activities, such as dining or drinking indoors, or attending crowded indoor gatherings in poorly ventilated spaces, as much as possible. Always wear a high-quality mask when traveling by mass transportation like planes, trains, or buses.
- Keep in mind that the negative results of a test are not a green light for you to do a particular activity. A negative test offers no protection; the negative results of a test only indicate that you don’t have to go into isolation based on the last time you tested.
- As noted in the Arrival Checklist, you must take a PCR (not home or antigen) test no more than 10 days before your arrival on campus.
If Your Pre-Arrival Test Is Positive
- If you test positive for COVID-19, you must complete A FULL 10-DAY isolation before arriving on campus. You also shouldn’t travel during that time, as per CDC recommendations.
- It’s recommended to test far enough in advance (but not more than 10 days) and wait for your result before beginning your travels, as this is safest for both you and others.
- Students will NOT be allowed to move in before this mandatory 10-day isolation ends, even with a negative antigen test.
- If necessary, please email phrt@barnard.edu and housing@barnard.edu to notify the College of your need for a different move-in date. The Public Health Response Team can help you calculate this new date.
Pre-Arrival Test Requirement
You must upload the results of your pre-arrival test to CoVerified. Instructions are linked here.
- Please ensure you have the following information clearly visible on your lab report. If your lab report does not have this information, your submission will be rejected, and your campus access denied until an acceptable result is submitted:
- Full Name
- Date of Birth (DOB)
- Labs Name & Test Date
- Test Type
- Result
*Important note: when uploading a PCR pre-arrival test result, you may select either “AN-PCR” OR “NP-PCR” as our team does not use this information while processing your test results.
- “Inconclusive” results do not meet the testing requirement and will not be accepted. If you have an inconclusive result, please email phrt@barnard.edu so that we can advise you on next steps, and upload these results to CoVerified to allow for time for us to review and accept your results.
- Due to the volume of tests being processed, you will not receive a confirmation when your test is accepted. You may see whether your uploaded test has been accepted in the CoVerified app. We will reach out to you only if there are issues with your test upload within 24 hours of submission.
- Tests cannot be done at Barnard’s Testing Center unless you are currently an enrolled community member who is due for testing according to the Surveillance Testing Schedule.
Residential Students Preparing For On-Campus Living
Packing for Residential Housing during COVID-19
- Please be sure to pack these health-related items so that you have them ready if you need them:
- A thermometer
- Several high-quality, well-fitting masks
- Sanitizing wipes
- Hand sanitizer
- Over-the-counter medications such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil)
- Antigen test kits, which are now widely available for both purchase and at no cost to you
Preparing to “Recover/Isolate in Place”
- After students move into the residence halls, students who test positive or are sick with symptoms of COVID-19 are required to recover in their permanent housing assignment, including those students who have roommates and/or suitemates. They will be advised of best practices to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus within their living space. Upon arrival to campus, students will receive a roommate agreement worksheet that they can use to help plan for how they’ll manage COVID-19 together within their living space.
- If students are at risk of severe illness if they were to become infected with COVID-19, please contact us at phrt@barnard.edu for additional information.
- This decision was made with the guidance of our Chief Health Officer and Columbia University Irving Medical Center's team of leading infectious disease experts and aligns with the practices of many other colleges nationwide like Columbia University, Harvard University and NYU.
Move-In Day Procedures for Residents
Note: Students moving into Barnard Housing for early arrival may have a different location for where to check in and get their keys; this information will be communicated by the offices managing students’ early arrivals.
Additionally, all students may review the Barnard Residential Life Move-In page for information on check-in procedures, move-in helpers, and more.
- Before you arrive, generate a “green screen” in the CoVerified app; this is done by having your pre-arrival test uploaded and reviewed. Please upload your results as soon as you receive them.
- Please note that for Fall 2022, there is no required “entry test” or arrival quarantine.
You can find more general information on the College’s COVID-19 policies and procedures here at alert.barnard.edu and on the PHRT Mini-Site.
Again, we look forward to welcoming you soon. We wish you a great rest of the summer and safe travels upon your arrival on campus.
Take good care,
The Public Health Response Team
April Autry
Director of Public Health Response Team
Caroline Ray
Associate Director of Public Health Response Team, Data and Operations
Nisha Chowdhury
Associate Director of Public Health Response Team, Testing and Vaccines