A version of this message is being sent to all Duke graduate and professional students. The testing group and dates for arrival testing are the only variable between versions. See the note marked with ** below

Monday, December 21, 2020

Dear graduate and professional students,

We hope you are, or will soon be having a safe and restorative Winter Break. It is hard to believe that it is already time to prepare for the spring semester, but we are hard at work preparing to support your Duke experience this spring.

Whether you will remain in the Durham area over the break, or are returning to Durham from elsewhere, there are a few things you will need to do before you arrive in Durham and/or return to campus.

If you are planning to return to campus or the Durham area this spring, please read in full the important information below on pre-arrival testing, quarantining before returning to campus, entry testing, and other health guidance.

Duke is closely monitoring public health conditions as well as state and local regulations so all of these plans are subject to change on short notice. As you prepare for the spring semester, it is important to plan ahead as much as possible to be prepared should the situation shift.

Spring semester will certainly look different than previous years. But, as President Price shared in his message, we were able to have a successful and safe fall semester thanks to the extraordinary dedication of our students, staff and faculty. Please join us in renewing our shared commitment to protecting the health and wellbeing of the entire Duke community. We look forward to seeing you on campus soon.

Thank you for your attention to this information, and best wishes for a healthy and restorative holiday and winter break.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Francis
Executive Vice Provost

Kyle Cavanaugh
Vice President, Administration

BEFORE YOU TRAVEL TO DURHAM

Self-Quarantine

If you have travelled somewhere outside of the Durham area, following public health guidance, we are asking that all students traveling to the Durham area observe 10 days of quarantine prior to their travels. During quarantine, you should limit your contact to immediate household members, take care to observe social distancing, wear face coverings if you must be outside the home, and wash your hands frequently. Quarantining is a proven strategy to minimize the likelihood of a widespread outbreak when students return to campus for the spring semester.

Pre-Arrival Testing

Students who are returning to Durham from other locations are STRONGLY encouraged to take a COVID test within five days of your arrival to Durham; check local and state public health resources to find out what might be available in your area. This means if you will arrive in Durham on January 9, you should get tested between January 4-8 and wait to come to campus until you receive your result. Though voluntary, this precaution is one more way to help protect the Duke and Durham communities. Please note that pre-arrival testing for those traveling back to Durham is encouraged in addition to entry testing (also referred to as gateway testing) once you arrive in Durham.

Please report any positive results to Student Health through Duke MyChart and observe isolation protocols BEFORE you return to Durham. If you are in quarantine due to exposure to others with COVID-19, please inform Student Health. YOU SHOULD NOT RETURN TO CAMPUS OR DURHAM UNTIL YOUR QUARANTINE OR ISOLATION PERIOD HAS ENDED AND YOU ARE SYMPTOM-FREE. If you are in isolation and cannot return to campus at the designated time, please email your school or program contact and contact Student Health and your academic dean.

Proof of Previous Diagnosis

If you have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 3 months (October, November, or December 2020), you must still sign up for an entry testing slot, although you do not need to be tested. You should bring a hard copy of your test report with you to Penn Pavilion or submit your report through Duke MyChart. You may receive additional instructions from Student Health about your arrival procedure and screening testing if you have previously tested positive for COVID-19.

WHEN YOU ARRIVE IN DURHAM

Entry Testing

Graduate and professional students who plan to be on campus for any reason and any length of time this spring, even just to pick up library books, are required to participate in entry testing upon their arrival in Durham. Please note that your DukeCard will not be activated until you complete entry testing, unless you have been cleared to continue coming to campus and are currently participating in winter break surveillance testing.

Entry testing for graduate and professional students will take place in Penn Pavilion. You must register for a testing slot in advance. Please be sure to register for your testing slot by WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30. Students have been assigned to a testing window based on program start date as well as the need to access labs and other campus facilities. We recognize that your assigned window may not be optimal, but we are balancing many student and program needs and we do not have an ability to make changes and exceptions.

** Each student should check their email to confirm their assigned testing period

Period 1: January 3-4
Period 2: January 5-8
Period 3: January 9-13

If you are unable to test during your assigned window, it is likely that we will not be not be able to accommodate you until later in January. You will be required to take classes remotely and not come to campus until baseline testing is complete.

We encourage you to plan your travel around your confirmed testing time; please do NOT just show up to Penn Pavilion without having a confirmed testing slot. Further details on entry testing, including parking details and on-site procedures, will be shared later. In the meantime, questions about testing may be sent to your program contact.

Post-Arrival Sequester Period

After entry testing, all students are required to sequester in their home until they receive a negative COVID-19 test result. Test results will be made available through Duke MyChart, likely 36 – 48 hours after testing. While awaiting your test results, students are expected to limit any unnecessary movement and activity outside of their home, and should avoid other students and staff during this time.

Any students who test positive will receive isolation instructions under the care of Duke clinicians and will participate in contact tracing, which is used to identify any other potential positive cases.

PLANNING AHEAD

While we hope this would not happen, public health conditions may require the university to implement a shelter-in-place status, shift to remote-only instruction, or ask you to isolate or quarantine based on your individual circumstance. We don’t say this to alarm anyone—in fact, just the opposite. Simple steps such as maintaining a stock of non-perishable food and water in your room or apartment, ensuring you have needed course materials with you whether in Durham or elsewhere, and having any important items you may need on hand (such as medications, etc.) enable you to adapt to changing conditions. We urge all students to plan for these types of scenarios. 

In addition, we will still have policies this spring that limit gatherings, especially indoors and especially while eating.

Other aspects of fall pandemic life on campus will resume in the spring semester. As was the case in the fall, surveillance testing is required for any graduate or professional student coming to campus for any reason or length of time. Symptom monitoring will continue, with all students filling out their daily symptom monitoring report in order to be cleared to access campus that day. Everyone on campus will be required to wear facemasks and maintain distancing. And all students will still be united by their commitment to the Duke Compact, and each other.

While Duke Health has begun to vaccinate health care personnel per CDC recommendations, we do not anticipate that the vaccine will be available to most students or university staff this spring. Students with underlying medical conditions that put them at risk for severe COVID-19 illness should contact Student Health to discuss potential eligibility for early vaccination.