COVID Alert Level, Testing and Policy Reminders

Dear Wheaton Community,

We hope that you were able to enjoy some rest and relaxation during the recent Thanksgiving break. We email today with some important policy reminders to help our community get through the remaining three weeks of the fall semester on campus, including increased testing over the next two days.

The college’s COVID-19 Alert Level will remain at Yellow: Moderate Concern. Additional restrictions or policy modifications have not been made at this time, but the Return to Campus Task Force will continue to evaluate campus conditions.

We have received various reports of large gatherings on and off-campus before the break and community members testing positive for COVID-19 during their time away. The reports of large gatherings and other policy violations will be directed through the typical student conduct process. As shared in our last COVID communication, we must remain vigilant throughout our time on and off campus as recent events continue to remind us all that the pandemic is not over.

The most effective methods to prevent the spread of the virus on our campus and beyond are through masking and social distancing.

We have worked with our medical partners to increase testing capacity over the next two days: Monday, November 29, and Tuesday, November 30. We strongly encourage all community members who will be on campus during these two days to test early in the week on one of these two days. Please schedule an appointment in advance in the CoVerified app.

If you received a positive test result or were identified as a close contact over the break, please notify us at [email protected], if you have not done so already.  We will work with you through our COVID-19 protocols to protect you and the community from further transmission.

We believe we can continue to keep our community safe, but each one of us must mask up indoors, test weekly, social distance whenever possible, only travel off-campus for essential purposes, and take all safety precautions. Together, we can do this!

Be well,

Dean Zack