Dear Notre Dame undergraduate, graduate, and professional students,
Since we wrote last week and Father Jenkins recently indicated, Notre Dame's COVID-19 cases and local transmission continue at concerning rates. We are grateful for students' excellent participation in surveillance testing, which is imperative to prevent further spread. Today, we want to share additional details with you about dining precautions and exit testing.
DINING PRECAUTIONS
Contact tracing continues to reveal that dining is one of the highest risk activities for transmission, especially when meals are shared indoors. Reluctantly, beginning Friday, Nov. 6, we must discontinue indoor dining at North Dining Hall and South Dining Hall until further notice. Dining inside Duncan Student Center, LaFortune Student Center, Hesburgh Library, and other buildings remains prohibited. On campus, students can eat outdoors, utilize heated tents, or take food back to their assigned residence hall rooms.
We also strongly encourage students to avoid dining or drinking indoors at local restaurants and bars.
EXIT TESTING
Exit testing is an important way for us to work together to support your safe departure and protect both your loved ones and home communities. All students will be scheduled for exit testing before the semester ends, either through an appointment time you choose or mandatory surveillance testing.
Exit testing for all students will be offered Monday, Nov. 9 through Saturday, Nov. 21 during the following hours:
- Mondays through Thursdays: 9 a.m. - 7 p.m.
- Fridays: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
- Saturdays and Sundays: 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
To schedule your exit test based on your departure schedule, please click here. Students must schedule an appointment for exit testing by 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8. Test results could take up to 48 hours to return.
Students who do not schedule an exit test will receive a notification to report for mandatory surveillance testing during an assigned two-day window prior to the end of the semester.
Students are only exempt from exit testing if they have already tested positive within the last three months, are in quarantine or isolation when they receive a surveillance testing notification, are tested as a student-athlete, or are approved through Sara Bea Accessibility Services for remote study this semester.
Any students who fail to report for exit testing will be assigned a registration time ticket for Spring semester courses at the end of the course registration period. This means you will only be allowed to register after all other students have done so from Dec. 2 - 9. On Monday, Nov. 23, the COVID-19 Response Unit (CRU) will notify the Registrar's Office of those students who did not report for exit testing, and their course registration time will be adjusted.
If you have questions about COVID-19 surveillance testing, please contact the University's Coronavirus Response Unit Hotline at 574-634-HERE (4373), which is available to answer coronavirus-related questions 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
THIS WEEKEND AND BEYOND
We realize it has been a challenging semester in many ways, and we want to conclude as safely as possible. We are asking for your help. Saturday's game against Clemson is an exciting opportunity to cheer on our football team, but your choices that day also impact the health of our community.
Please adhere to the University's policy of gathering informally in groups of 10 or less outdoors prior to the game. Take advantage of the many pregame activities planned on campus. Follow the instructions of Notre Dame Stadium officials at all times.
Remember that keeping our community healthy requires you to:
- Wear your mask
- Practice physical distancing
- Wash your hands regularly
- Complete your daily health check
- Show up when selected for surveillance testing
Thank you for supporting the well-being of our campus community in these important ways. Please take care of one another, and best wishes during this last week of classes.
In Notre Dame,
Erin Hoffmann Harding
Vice President for Student Affairs
Mike Seamon
Vice President for Campus Safety and University Operations
Originally published by at studentaffairs.nd.edu on November 05, 2020.