Second Staff Member Tests Positive for COVID-19

Dear Faculty, Staff, and Students,

I am writing to inform you that a Middlebury College employee has reported testing positive for COVID-19. This case is not related to the positive case we reported to you on Tuesday.

The staff member is recuperating in isolation and is doing well. The Vermont Department of Health has completed contact tracing and determined there were no workplace or other campus exposures, and that the transmission risk to students and coworkers is very low at this time.

Individuals who may have had peripheral contact with the employee will be included in the Targeted Dynamic Testing Clinic scheduled for Thursday, January 21. Invitations will be sent to those employees and to other groups of employees working on campus. Please note that receiving an invitation does not mean that you have been exposed.

As always, please respect this employee’s privacy and refrain from speculation about their identity.

With a higher prevalence of COVID-19 in our community and nationwide, we expect that as the winter term and spring semester progress, we will have additional positive cases. We will post the latest information on our COVID-19 Reporting Dashboard. 

Going forward, while we will continue to update the COVID-19 Reporting Dashboard, we will not send announcements to the campus community about positive employee cases unless there is an impact on operations or a public health concern. Any close contacts identified through contact tracing will be notified by either the Vermont Department of Health or College officials. Peripheral contacts will be invited to targeted testing. 

The occurrence of positive cases on campus without additional exposures is a testament to the efficacy of our workplace safety measures, including departmental exposure control plans, routine use of face coverings, hand hygiene, daily symptom checks, and physical distancing. It is more important than ever that we continue these protective behaviors to prevent transmission on campus. Adhering to the College’s personal travel guidelines and State of Vermont quarantine requirements also helps limit any possible transmission. You can learn more about travel protocols at VT Cross State Travel.

Sincerely,

Mark Peluso

Chief Health Officer and College Physician