Dear Members of the UNH Durham Community—
Happy New Year! J-term started Monday and our COVID lab is again accepting tests to process. Preliminary results indicate a positivity rate around 6%; we’re hoping to update the testing dashboard tomorrow if possible, but that volume of positive cases does slow down the process. This is not unexpected given the significant increase in cases we’re seeing across the country. As you know, omicron is a much more contagious variant, but for most vaccinated people it causes relatively mild symptoms, similar to allergies or a cold. We need to be as vigilant as ever about checking the Wildcat Pass, adhering to testing schedules and staying home when we have any symptoms.
While the vast majority of our J-term courses are online, the few in-person Durham J-term classes are being addressed on a case-by-case basis based on the particular needs of the course and instructor. We will share more detailed information about the start of the spring semester by early next week but please be assured we are closely watching regional, state and campus data and will use the science to inform our decisions.
The increase in cases may change how a community member is contacted about an abnormal test result and the contact tracing process. Please carefully review the following changes and reminders as we start the new year:
- Open and read all emails/texts from the COVID Lab and Health & Wellness. An abnormal test result, which requires a confirmatory retest, may be communicated via the email you receive saying your results are ready if there is no capacity to make individual phone calls. Do not assume you are in the clear because you received the email.
- Although the CDC has updated quarantine and isolation guidelines, UNH follows New Hampshire's guidelines, which still specify a 10-day isolation period. We will not change our isolation period until/unless the state does. How to isolate: https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/dphs/cdcs/covid19/documents/self-isolation-covid.pdf.
- Anyone who tests positive will have an invalid Wildcat Pass for 10 days; it will become active at midnight on the last day.
- If you need your password reset in Sequoia to receive your test results, contact covid@unh.edu.
- Continue to test as scheduled if you come to campus and wear a mask in all indoor spaces.
Thank you for your continued commitment to keeping our community safe and please watch your UNH email for important spring semester updates.
All my best,
James W. Dean Jr.
President
