Dear colleagues, students, and staff,

As you are aware, the COVID-19 situation can change quickly and necessitate a re-evaluation of our plans.  In the past several hours since sending this afternoon's message from the president and my office about our move to remote classes, it has come to our attention that several members of our community have been in contact with confirmed cases. We have dealt prudently and swiftly with the situation, asking employees who have had contact to self-isolate immediately and to arrange for testing.  

I want to emphasize at this point that there are NO NEW CONFIRMED CASES on our campus. However, out of an abundance of caution, and because test results take time to process, after consulting with the Boston Public Health Commission, I am updating our instructions to include the following actions:   

Employees who are unsure of their status should seek guidance from their supervisor. 

The effective result of this combination of actions is that on-campus instruction will not take place beginning tonight and lasting at least until April 3. Consistent with my earlier message today, we will be moving to remote classes after spring break and until at least until April 3.

Staff should remain in constant contact with their supervisors. Faculty should do the same with their department chairs. Everyone should pay attention to their email and to the campus web site with up to date information on COVID-19 so that we are assured we can keep the community updated in real time.

We apologize for the rapid change of plans as this continues to be a fast-evolving situation. We are prioritizing the health and safety of our campus community, and believe it is critical to make decisions and provide communications as quickly as possible.  

Thank you for your patience.