COVID-19 Booster Requirement

| by Jeff Dayton-Johnson

Campus Notes

Dear Middlebury Institute Community,

I am writing with updates on COVID-19 Middlebury booster requirements, testing and travel guidelines, and indoor masking update for the campus community. In this email we will address:

  • Booster Requirements: January 28, 2022 Deadline
  • Testing Guidelines
  • Travel Guidelines
  • California Masking Mandate

Booster Requirements: January 28, 2022 Deadline

Consistent with Middlebury’s COVID-19 Vaccine Requirements policy and evidence that vaccines provide the best available protection against all forms of the virus, including the latest Omicron variant, the Middlebury Institute will require all faculty, staff, and students eligible to receive COVID-19 booster shots to verify that they have received their booster not later than January 28, 2022, unless they have an approved medical or religious exemption. 

Faculty, staff, and students who will not be eligible for the booster vaccine by January 28, 2022 must receive their booster shot and provide verification to the Institute no later than two weeks after they receive their booster, unless they have an approved medical or religious exemption.

Students and employees who already have approved medical or religious exemptions for the COVID-19 vaccine do not have to resubmit a new exemption request for the booster shot. 

This deadline for booster shots is intended to allow for anyone who received the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine in the summer to be at least six months out from full vaccination and to ensure that our community is as fully protected as possible in time for our return to campus for the spring semester. Individuals who received a Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine may receive their booster two or more months after their initial dose. Middlebury’s COVID-19 leave plan has been expanded for staff, regardless of benefit eligibility, to allow for paid time away to receive a booster or recover from any potential side effects of the booster.  

Appointments for vaccination and boosters are available at doctors’ offices, community clinics, pharmacies, and many other locations across Monterey County.

All faculty, staff, and students should retain a copy of their booster record and upload their record via the SentryMD portal. More information is available on the COVID-19 Vaccine Requirements webpage. New students for the spring semester and continuing students who will be in-person on campus for the first time will need to upload verifications for their vaccines and booster.  

Testing Guidelines

With many faculty, staff, and students traveling over the winter break, the risk of COVID-19 transmission is higher. All members of the Institute community are strongly encouraged to get a PCR test after traveling and before returning to campus. Further, additional PCR testing requirements for all students will be communicated separately after the break. Munras Housing students will receive an email later today.  As a reminder, if you test positive for COVID-19, guidelines are in place for notification and care.  

A COVID-19 testing site is available at the Portola Hotel & Spa at 2 Portola Plaza in downtown Monterey, within easy walking distance of the Institute. Free PCR tests are available there between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. There are other vaccine and testing locations in the local area, including at the Tuesday Farmers Market and the Monterey Airport. 

Please do not come to campus if you have COVID-19 symptoms, you are a close contact of someone with COVID-19 within 10 days of your scheduled arrival, or you have tested positive for COVID-19. If any of these circumstances apply, students should contact Ashley Arrocha at aarrocha@middlebury.edu and faculty and staff should contact Michael Ulibarri at mulibarr@middlebury.edu for further guidance. 

Travel Guidelines

Travel rules have been tightened by the federal authorities to now require all in-bound international passengers to test for COVID-19 within 24 hours of departure, regardless of vaccination status. Additional travel guidance is likely to emerge in the coming weeks, so be sure to check frequently for guidelines before and after traveling over the winter break.

California Masking Mandate

Beginning Wednesday, December 15, the State of California requires EVERYONE, regardless of vaccination status, to wear a face mask indoors in public places. The mandate will remain in place until at least January 15 and could be extended beyond that date.

The Institute will continue to require indoor masking for the remainder of the academic year, except in private offices and in Munras Housing bedrooms.

As always, detailed information on COVID-19 policies in place for the academic year can be found on the Return-to-Campus webpage and the Vaccine webpage.

I hope that you and your family have a restful winter break, and we will see you in the new year!

Sincerely,

Jeff Dayton-Johnson

Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Institute

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