Employee Tests Positive for COVID-19

Dear Faculty, Staff, and Students,

We write to let you know that a Middlebury staff member in Vermont has notified the College that they have tested positive for COVID-19. Our colleague, who has been off campus, is recuperating in isolation at home and is reported to be doing well. This is the first positive employee test result in the Middlebury College community.

College health officials conducted an investigation and determined there was no risk of transmission of COVID-19 to any College student, faculty, or staff member. Our determination was confirmed by the Vermont Department of Health through its own investigation.

We ask that you respect this employee’s privacy and refrain from speculation about their identity.

Although we know there will be more cases in our community as the virus continues to move through Vermont and California, there is currently no known case of COVID-19 on our campuses, nor is there any known transmission of COVID-19 from any student, faculty, or staff member to another.

Thank you for continuing to observe social distancing.

If you have wondered how important this practice really is, please see these illustrations on the University of Vermont Health Network’s website that show the effectiveness of social distancing to slow the spread of the virus.

More information about Middlebury’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic can be found here

As the patterns of our lives change in response to this crisis, maintaining our mental health becomes even more important. We know you have been maintaining social connections online, on the phone, on social media, and getting out to exercise. But it does bear reminding ourselves regularly of how to keep mentally healthy in this time of stress. Please see this communication from the CDC.

We can’t say it enough: Thank you for all you are doing for Middlebury.

Sincerely,

David Provost
Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration

Mark Peluso, M.D.
Director of Health Services