Dear Andover families,
Reflecting on fall term, it feels in many ways that our goal of moving into a new normal, with a return to pre-pandemic activities and traditions, has been our lived experience since September. As we approach Winter Break and continue to monitor COVID-19 and its variants, protecting community health, while delivering on our mission, continues to be our highest priority. Please see our latest protocols below.
Earlier this fall, we communicated that all Andover students and adults would continue to be required to remain “up to date” with COVID vaccination, which includes the bivalent booster. Acknowledging that many preferred to wait until a school break to obtain the vaccine for a variety of reasons, we asked everyone to provide updated proof of COVID vaccination (and being up to date with requirements) by January 4, 2023.
While our campus positivity rate for much of the fall term has been low, there is evidence locally that COVID numbers (cases and hospitalizations) are rising again. Recent wastewater data tracked by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority has shown that levels are similar to those approximately one year ago. While we do not know if this will mean a January surge like we experienced last year, we believe that we must maintain our multi-layered risk mitigation to continue our goal of in-person learning in a safe and healthy campus environment.
COVID vaccinations remain an important part of this approach, both to reduce the incidence of severe disease in any individuals and to continue to provide an environment that is as safe as possible for those who are at greater risk of developing severe illness. For both individual and public health reasons, we continue to believe that the current vaccine requirement remains best for Andover to stay true to our mission.
As we continue to look at the data, we will maintain the previously stated requirement that all students must submit proof of receiving the bivalent COVID booster by January 4, 2023. For anyone having difficulty obtaining the bivalent vaccine over break, we will hold a vaccine clinic on campus, through VaxinateRx, on January 4 in the late afternoon/early evening (details TBD based on how many students will need this option). Any previous approved medical or religious exemptions extend through the school year, and any new requests should be sent to sykeswellness@andover.edu. (Religious exemptions may be an email from a parent/guardian; medical exemptions must be from a licensed healthcare provider who diagnosed or managed the medical contraindication.)
For winter term, we do not plan to administer any testing. We will not require masking (except for those who are symptomatic, within 10 days of being diagnosed with COVID or within 10 days of being a close contact of someone with COVID). And we expect that all Andover programming on and off campus will continue without modifications.
We appreciate your continued support.
Raynard Kington, MD, PhD, P’24
Head of School
Amy Patel, MD, P’26
Chief Medical Officer
