Week 40: Countway Library Re-opening, January 6, 2021

I am excited to announce that Countway Library’s soft re-opening will begin on January 6th, 2021. Please see below two communication letters that went out to all students this past week. In addition, please see attached the Ambassador shift schedule for the first two weeks of opening. Please note that the first shift will begin on Wednesday, January 6th. I look forward to this next phase and to see you all in the newly renovated library in 2021. Happy Holidays!

Message from the Deans

This message went out to HMS students and first-year HSDM students who take classes with HMS students, graduate students, and external education students.

Dear Students,

We hope everyone is doing well and staying healthy this holiday season. We are writing with information and guidance for your arrival on the HMS campus for the spring 2021 semester. With the COVID-19 pandemic continuing, our top priority remains the preservation of health and well-being in our community. We want to ensure that you have the information you need when you arrive in Boston. Given the current surge, and the vaccine only just being released, we are starting with an abundance of caution. We hope for the gradual resumption of more normal activities as the spring semester unfolds.

Here is what to expect:

Before Arriving on Campus

Please make sure you do not have any COVID-19 symptoms, including fever, shortness of breath, cough or loss of taste or smell, before coming to campus. If you are experiencing symptoms, please contact your health care provider. Before your arrival on campus or at any Harvard facilities, you must complete the state-mandated COVID-19 Safety Awareness Training module, or, for those working in wet laboratories, the Lab COVID-19 Safety Awareness Training, which is available on the Harvard Training Portal. This training takes approximately 30 minutes and must be finished before completing your Crimson Clear health attestation. You are required to complete the Crimson Clear health attestation anytime you come to campus. Then, if you are cleared to come to campus, you will receive a “clear” barcode pass, which will be valid for 23 hours and will be scanned by a security officer via your mobile phone or a printed version upon entry to campus. If you are not cleared, a Harvard University Health Services (HUHS) clinician will call you during regular business hours to determine next steps before you can enter a Harvard facility. If you are a resident of Vanderbilt Hall you will be permitted to enter Vanderbilt in order to begin your quarantine.

Authorized Campus Access

Please be aware that HMS continues to be a closed campus. Access is limited to authorized personnel and only for specific, authorized student academic activities. For this reason, you must enter campus through one of the three designated building checkpoints: the Goldenson/Armenise link, the Building C/Tosteson Medical Education Center (TMEC) link, or the New Research Building (NRB). Please be ready to present your Crimson Clear pass to the security officer. If you are new to campus and need to obtain a Harvard University ID (HUID) card, please work with your program leader to obtain an ID. Once your ID card is processed, please report to the Building C/TMEC entrance to obtain your card. Upon entry, you will be given a Harvard-issued face mask to replace your own mask. Please wait until you are at your destination in the building before removing your own face mask and donning your Harvard-issued mask. Please adhere to the interior and exterior building signage that reinforces face coverings, physical distancing and personal hygiene.

Community Compact

As members of the HMS community, each of us has a personal responsibility to support the health, safety and well-being of others in the community. To address the unique challenges of managing the COVID-19 pandemic and to foster an environment of trust aligned with our mission and community values, we ask the following: 1) That you recognize that access to campus is a privilege that requires advance approval. Access privileges may be revoked if the health and safety guidelines established by HMS and Harvard University are not followed. 2) That you follow established health and safety guidelines when coming to campus, including directives issued by national, state and local governments, as well as by HMS and Harvard University. 3) That you understand that authorization to come to campus requires that you accept certain practices, like mask-wearing and physical distancing, that may run counter to your personal preferences. 4) That you acknowledge that your behavior must set an example of respect for others through honesty, integrity and accountability. Please click here to acknowledge your responsibilities to the health, safety and well-being of yourself and the members of our community. We seek to create a model culture of caring for one another, where a reminder to a colleague to follow our health guidelines is an act of mutual compassion, not an act of “policing” one another.

Participation in Regular COVID-19 Testing

HMS students on campus for four or more hours per week are required to participate in regular, self-administered COVID-19 testing. Those who are symptomatic must contact their physician or HUHS. Students who meet eligibility requirements have been added to a specific testing cadence, which will enable them to be tested up to twice a week. Please note that students living in Vanderbilt Hall are required to get tested three times a week. Once an e-mail confirmation is received, students must create a Color account. This is a critical step as test kits cannot be accessed until a Color account has been activated. Students may pick up test kits at the NRB in the ground floor lobby on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 8 a.m. to noon and from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., and on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. Once a test sample has been collected, the completed swab should be dropped off at a collection point on the ground floor of the NRB. You will need to enter a barcode in your Color account so that the test will be associated with your account. You may drop off your sample anytime at the NRB, but for faster results, it’s best to drop it off by 2 p.m. Please review the HMS coronavirus website and these instructions for additional information on testing logistics.

Contact Tracing and Quarantine Requirements

If a positive coronavirus test result is received, HUHS will begin contact tracing the individual’s close contacts. Anyone with known exposure to a positive case will be required to quarantine and participate in additional COVID-19 testing. All members of the campus community are asked to keep their cell phones powered and nearby at all times, as timely communication is essential. Outreach from HUHS and School administrators may require that you answer phone calls at any time in order to initiate isolation and quarantine procedures.

Flu Vaccination Requirements

Immunization for the flu by December 31, 2020, is required in Massachusetts for all individuals who are enrolled in colleges and universities within the state. For more information about the flu vaccine requirement in Massachusetts, please visit the Mass.gov website [link expired].

On-Campus Dining

In terms of food service options, the Elements Café in the NRB is open Monday through Friday, 11:15 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Courtyard Café in the Warren Alpert Building is open Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Per HMS guidelines, both cafés are seating one guest per table; however, mobile ordering from Elements or Courtyard Café is now available through THRIVE mobile ordering. For additional and updated information, please visit the dining services website. For those permitted to be in the TMEC building, please note that eating and drinking are not allowed in the building. Students who live in Vanderbilt Hall are strongly encouraged to return to their dorm rooms for meals.

Countway Library

The Countway Library will be open starting the first week of January for limited on-site services Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., with a cleaning protocol in place from 1 to 2 p.m. each day. These services include individual student study spaces and book pickup only. Individual study spaces must be reserved through the online reservation system [link expired] before you will be allowed to enter the library. Once a reservation has been confirmed, students may enter the building by showing their confirmation email via their mobile device or a printed copy. All other library services involving research, education or the Center for the History of Medicine are available remotely via Ask Countway. Currently, group studying, faculty/student meetings and eating and drinking are not permitted in the library.

Individual Study Spaces

In addition to study spaces in the Countway Library, students who are actively enrolled in classes in TMEC may reserve individual study space in the TMEC building [link expired] following the same protocols outlined for reserving study spaces in Countway. These spaces are available between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m Monday through Friday. Currently, group studying, faculty/student meetings and eating and drinking are not permitted in TMEC.

Longwood Medical Area Transportation

You can review updated Longwood Medical Area bus and M2 shuttle schedules here.

Wellness Resources

Your mental health is as important as your physical health. Click here to view some available resources.

While some plans will continue to develop over the coming weeks, we will ensure that any updates or further modifications are communicated to you. Your program leaders will also be reaching out to provide additional information and program-specific guidance.

Your participation in these measures to reduce the risk and spread of COVID-19 is critical. Please show you care for your fellow classmates, professors, family and friends, and help hold each other accountable as an act of caring for one another. The more diligent and careful we are now, the sooner we’ll be able to resume additional activities within our community. Indeed, we all look forward to a carefully planned return to more normal activities as conditions improve over the course of the months ahead. Please review the requirements and resources for face coverings, physical distancing, handwashing and more. We thank each of you for your participation and cooperation in keeping Harvard and our community healthy, and we look forward to your safe arrival in the new year.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Ed Hundert, MD Dean for Medical Education

 

 

David Roberts, MD Dean for External Education

 

 

Roz Segal, MD, PhD Dean for Graduate Education

 

 

Message that went out with specific Countway re-opening plans to students in all three schools via the various school communication mechanisms

 

Countway is excited to welcome all Harvard Longwood Medical Campus students to its newly renovated building to study. We will be opening for seat reservations and book pick-up beginning January 6, 2021.

Seat reservations are required before you arrive. To make your Countway seat reservation go to the Countway space reservation form [link expired]. For any eCommons login inquiries please contact Room Scheduling or IT at 617-432-2000.

  • Enter Countway Library via its new entrance at 695 Huntington Avenue
  • Reservations can be made for a minimum of 30 minutes and a maximum of 4 hours between 9 am-1 pm and 2 pm-6:30 pm
  • Show Crimson Clear attestation at the security desk
  • You may exit and re-enter at any time within your reservation window but cannot enter earlier than 10 minutes before your reservation start time
  • If there is a large number of students entering the library at once, you may need to wait outside until proper distancing protocols can be followed. Signage will be provided.
  • All safety violations will be documented

Please take the time to familiarize yourself with Countway’s safety protocols prior to your visit:

  1. Face coverings are always to be worn. If needed, additional face masks can be provided at Countway library security desk
  2. Food and/or drink is not allowed in the library
  3. Social distancing policies must be followed
  4. Students should only sit in their reserved seat
  5. Furniture should not be moved within the library for any reason
  6. Students should not enter closed-off rooms or leave through emergency exits
  7. Students should not stay longer than their reserved times
  8. Recommended that space be cleaned before and after your reservation
  9. Students should keep cell phones handy in the event a Countway staff manager needs to communicate a reported violation

 

Additional communication vehicles such as the Countway website and social media handles will be used in early January to further communicate information to students regarding the seat reservation system and safety protocols.

 

 

Elaine