COVID-19 Campus Guide

• Residents are encouraged to get tested prior to returning to campus and will participate in Covid testing on campus upon arrival as part of the move-in process.
• Residents will be tested upon return to campus, and once a week for the first 6 weeks of the semester, regardless of vaccination status.   
• The guest policy will be limited at the beginning of the semester. Once conditions improve housing will re-evaluate and reinstate the guest and visitor policy. 
• If a residential student needs to quarantine or isolate, they must work with contact tracers and relocate off campus for quarantine or isolation as identified in their departure plan. Students may request to quarantine or isolate on campus at Bates if relocating off campus presents a significant hardship due to extenuating circumstances. 

For the month of January or until conditions improve SSU will be primarily remote including course delivery, in-person office staffing and on-campus activities.

• Limited in-person activities will be allowed with approval from area VP and additional Covid protocols in place.
• Activities must demonstrate strong academic value to in-person activity and rationale why it cannot occur in person or at a later date. If approved, event must check CoVerified for all participants and follow reduce occupancy standards.

Once conditions improve, SSU will welcome in person-activities with standard health and safety protocols in place such as:

• Room reservations and occupancy limits
• Indoor mask mandate
• CoVerified checks and attendance

When we return to in-person instruction we will continue to expect 3 feet of physical distancing in the classroom. Offices and meeting spaces should maintain 6 feet of physical distance as much as possible, and not exceed 75% occupancy. 

Non-SSU community members are welcome to access campus.  

• Visitors must follow our protocols including mask mandate and know not to come to campus if they are experiencing symptoms or have known exposures.  
• They should be encouraged to either be fully vaccinated or access testing within a week of coming to campus.   
• They can be encouraged to access free testing in Salem.  
• We will not use attestation forms. Instead, the host or department should track attendance.   
• Salem State staff and student staff will not be required to verify the vaccination status of visitors, given that SSU already has a vaccine mandate in place.

Spring semester classes will take place remotely through at least January 30, 2022. Decisions beyond this date will be made in consultation with the latest public health and safety data.

Read complete details on the staggered start here.

• Domestic travel is allowed for vaccinated individuals – faculty/staff, please follow typical travel approval process. Access testing before and after travel, and follow masking protocols.   
• International travel is discouraged and will be reviewed on case-by-case basis with approval needed from academic affairs or area VP and Risk Management.  
  • Anyone returning to campus after international travel will be required to upload proof of testing into CoVerified  48-24 hours before travel and at least 72 hours after travel (arriving back in MA) and within 1 week of returning to campus. 
• Faculty and staff should contact Ezekiel Holt with questions. Students should contact counseling and heatlh.