Dear Students,
I write to share with you some time-sensitive information and urge you to take the utmost care to protect yourself and our community.
Over the past several days, 25 students living in the neighborhoods around campus—most of whom are Georgetown undergraduates—have tested positive for COVID-19. This is the highest number of students with confirmed COVID-19 over such a short period of time since the pandemic began and despite most students adhering to our health and safety protocols.
It appears that for the students who recently tested positive, transmission occurred through small indoor gatherings involving people from different households and through social networks and contacts with roommates.
We know many of you are returning to the neighborhood and are eager to catch up with friends. However, we strongly urge all students to refrain from socializing indoors with anyone from outside your household until you have completed the required quarantine period and received negative test results, especially if you recently arrived in the neighborhood after traveling.
As always, we ask all members of our community to abide by the health and safety measures outlined in the Georgetown University Community Compact, including wearing a mask, practicing physical distancing, respecting the requirement to quarantine and meeting your testing commitments.
We recognize these are difficult times and know that many of you are doing all you can to stay safe—we truly appreciate your efforts.
Our teams are here to support you—whether you need medical care, help with isolation space, testing for close contacts or to be linked to other services. Please also be aware of the mental health resources that are available to you and your friends at no charge. If you have any questions or concerns at this time, please contact Georgetown’s Care Navigator Team at covidcarenavigator@georgetown.edu.
Sincerely,
Dr. Ranit Mishori, MD, MHS, FAAFP
Professor of Family Medicine, Interim Chief Public Health Officer