Quarantine and Isolation

• Go bag: All residential students should have a prepared “go bag” that contains 10 days worth of clothes, essential belongings, and necessities, such as medications. Your go bag should be ready prior to the start of the semester.
• Isolation instructions: Instructions for isolation will be provided to you by the CTT and an on-call staff member, so it is critical that you respond to phone calls as quickly as possible. You will also receive a follow-up email with all essential information, including directions to 98 Hemenway Street, packing requirements, dining ordering instructions, behavioral expectations, and support resources and services.
• Reporting to your isolation room: Once you have received isolation instructions, report to Berklee’s designated isolation facility at 98 Hemenway Street with your go bag. Per the instructions you will receive, notify a member of the on-call team once you have arrived to your assigned room.
• Room amenities: At 98 Hemenway Street, you will have your own room with essential amenities: linens (twin flat sheet, twin fitted sheet, pillow case, two bath towels, two hand towels, two face cloths, two blankets, and one laundry bag), cleaning supplies, and a microfridge, which heats and cools food.
• Food services: Each day, Aramark will make one contactless food delivery to students in isolation; the delivery will contain three meals and snacks. To receive a delivery, students are asked to place their orders by the end of the previous day (i.e., by midnight). If your isolation begins in between meal periods, Aramark will make individual deliveries until you can begin the daily ordering process. Detailed instructions on this will be provided when you begin your isolation. As a safety measure, you are not allowed to order food from outside vendors.
• Laundry: While in isolation, you will be able to do laundry in the basement. Only one person is allowed in the laundry room at a time. Physical Plant will keep a box stocked with personal hygiene items in the laundry room in case you forget to bring anything.
• Room cleaning and trash pickup: Each room will be stocked with standard cleaning supplies, which you may use to keep your space clean. When your room trash is full or needs to be changed, bag it, securely tie it closed, and place it in the hallway outside your room in the evening; Physical Plant will do a round of trash pickup in the morning.
• Facility maintenance: If any type of maintenance is required in your room, Physical Plant will coordinate with Housing to schedule the services and make sure you have another space to wait in while the work is being performed.
• Medical assistance: In close partnership with Berklee’s COVID-19 administrator, Tufts Medical Center will manage your medical needs and help you through your recovery, providing telehealth resources through Tufts Medical Center.
• Emergencies: Call Berklee Public Safety at 617-747-8888 in the event of any emergency or if you have safety concerns.
• Self-attestation and standard testing protocols: While you are in isolation, you will not need to complete your daily attestation through the app or continue to participate in Berklee’s twice-a-week testing protocols.
• Visitors and leaving your room: It is important that those in isolation remain separated from others for the duration of their recovery. Therefore, visitors are not permitted, nor can other students who are also in isolation visit your room. The only times you are permitted to leave your isolation room are to do laundry and pick up your Aramark food deliveries.
• Classes: If you feel well enough to participate in classes remotely, please continue to do so. If you do not feel well, you are encouraged to rest and will not be penalized for missing class. To notify faculty members of an extended class absence, email Student Health and Wellness at healthandwellness@berklee.edu.
• Resuming on-campus activity: Berklee is following the criteria from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for when it is safe to resume public activities. This criteria varies depending on your personal health condition and the severity of your infection. Berklee’s medical partner, Tufts Medical Center, will conduct a thorough examination to determine when it is safe for you to resume activities. Until you meet the CDC criteria and have been cleared by Tufts, you must continue to isolate.

• Isolation instructions: Instructions for isolation will be provided to you by the CTT and an on-call staff member, so it is critical that you respond to phone calls as quickly as possible.
• Leaving campus: In addition to receiving detailed instructions, you will be asked to leave campus immediately and begin isolation at home. You must isolate immediately without exception; if you are unable to leave campus immediately, Berklee will work with you to find temporary accommodations so that you can isolate without delay.
• Visitors and errands: During isolation, it is imperative that you remain at home, physically separated from other people. This means that you should not run errands in person or allow visitors for the duration of your isolation. Instead, consider placing orders online with contactless delivery for essential items and connecting with family and friends remotely.
• Classes: If you feel well enough to participate in classes remotely, please continue to do so. If you do not feel well, you are encouraged to rest and will not be penalized for missing class. To notify faculty members of an extended class absence, email Student Health and Wellness at healthandwellness@berklee.edu.
• Medical assistance: In close partnership with Berklee’s COVID-19 administrator, Tufts Medical Center will manage your medical needs and help you through your recovery, providing telehealth resources through Tufts Medical Center. If you have waived your Berklee health insurance and have your own health insurance, please work with your primary care provider.
• Resuming on-campus activity: Berklee is following the criteria of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for when it is safe to resume public activities. This criteria varies depending on your personal health conditions and the severity of your infection. Until you meet the CDC criteria and have been cleared by Tufts Medical Center or your primary care provider, you must continue to isolate.

• Isolation instructions: Instructions for isolation will be provided to you by the CTT and a Human Resources representative, so it is critical that you respond to phone calls as quickly as possible.
• Leaving campus and notifying your primary care provider: In addition to receiving detailed instructions, you will be asked to leave campus immediately and begin isolation at home, and connect with your primary care provider. If you are unable to leave campus immediately, Berklee will work with you to find temporary accommodations so that you can isolate without delay.
• Faculty teaching responsibilities while in isolation: If a substitute teacher is needed for a faculty member who cannot conduct classes due to COVID-19 or another illness, the current policy for class coverage and substitutes will apply. It can be found in the Policies and Guides section under Faculty Resources on the Academic Affairs website (login required).
• Staff work responsibilities while in isolation: If you are a staff member who must isolate, Human Resources will be in contact with you and coordinate with your manager on all work-related adjustments and accommodations.
• Resuming on-campus activity: Berklee is following the criteria of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for when it is safe to resume public activities. This criteria varies depending on your personal health conditions and the severity of your infection. Until you meet the CDC criteria and have been cleared by your primary care provider, you must continue to isolate.

• Quarantine instructions: Instructions for quarantine will be provided to you by the CTT and an on-call staff member, so it is critical that you respond to phone calls as quickly as possible. You will also receive a follow-up email with all essential information, including dining ordering instructions, behavioral expectations, and support resources and services.
• Where to quarantine: You will move to a separate quarantine room; more information will be provided for you by the on-call staff member. If you test positive for COVID-19, you will be moved to Berklee’s isolation facility at 98 Hemenway Street to begin isolation (see isolation procedures above). 
• Added amenities: The room where you quarantine will have a microfridge, which heats and cools food. 
• Food services: Each day, Aramark will make one contactless food delivery to students in quarantine; the delivery will contain three meals and snacks. To receive a delivery, place your order by the end of the previous day (i.e., by midnight). If your quarantine begins in between meal periods, Aramark will make individual deliveries until you can begin the daily ordering process. Detailed instructions on this will be provided when you begin your quarantine. As a safety measure, you are not allowed to order food from outside vendors.
• Laundry: While in quarantine, you will be able to do laundry in your residential building. Instructions for doing laundry will be provided when you enter quarantine.
• Room trash pickup: When your room trash is full or needs to be changed, bag it, securely tie it closed, and place it in the hallway outside your room in the evening; Physical Plant will do a round of trash pickup in the morning.
• Facility maintenance: If any type of maintenance is required in your room, Physical Plant will coordinate with Housing to schedule the services and make sure you have another space to wait in while the work is being performed.
• Medical assistance: In close partnership with Berklee’s COVID-19 administrator, Tufts Medical Center will provide you with telehealth resources through Tufts Medical Center.
• Emergencies: Call Berklee Public Safety at 617-747-8888 in the event of any emergency or if you have safety concerns. 
• Daily symptom reporting and standard testing protocols: While you are in quarantine, you will receive guidance from staff about when to get tested (the timing will differ from your normal testing schedule), and you will not need to complete your daily symptom reporting through the app or continue to participate in Berklee’s twice-a-week testing protocols. 
• Visitors and leaving your room: It is important that those in quarantine remain separated from others for the duration of their quarantine. Therefore, visitors are not permitted, nor can other students who are also in quarantine visit your room. The only times you are permitted to leave your room are to use the restroom, do laundry, and pick up your Aramark food deliveries. 
• Classes: During quarantine, you will be expected to participate in your classes remotely. If you do not feel well enough to participate in class, please follow your normal protocol for notifying faculty of an absence. 
• Resuming on-campus activity: You will quarantine for eight to 10 days, and will be able to resume campus activities after you receive a negative test result and are symptom-free. The exact length of your quarantine will depend on guidance from our partners at Tufts Medical Center at that time. After the quarantine period, continue to complete the daily symptom reporting and follow the guidelines detailed in the social compact.

• Quarantine instructions: Instructions for quarantine will be provided to you by the CTT and an on-call staff member, so it is critical that you respond to phone calls as quickly as possible.
• Leaving campus: In addition to receiving detailed instructions, you will be asked to leave campus immediately and begin quarantining at home. If you are unable to leave campus immediately, Berklee will work with you to find temporary accommodations so that you can quarantine without delay.
• If you develop symptoms: If you begin developing COVID-19 symptoms while in quarantine, contact Tufts Medical Center via telehealth. They may recommend that you obtain a test. If you are tested and are positive for COVID-19, you will be instructed to follow isolation procedures, and Berklee will begin the contact tracing process.
• Classes: During quarantine, you will be expected to participate in your classes remotely. If you do not feel well enough to participate in class, please follow your normal protocol for notifying faculty of an absence.
• Resuming on-campus activity: You will quarantine for eight to 10 days, and will be able to resume campus activities after you receive a negative test result and are symptom-free. The exact length of your quarantine will depend on guidance from our partners at Tufts Medical Center at that time. After the quarantine period, continue to complete the daily symptom reporting and follow the guidelines detailed in the social compact.

• Quarantine instructions: Instructions for quarantine will be provided to you by the CTT and an on-call staff member, so it is critical that you respond to phone calls as quickly as possible.
• Leaving campus: In addition to receiving detailed instructions, you will be asked to leave campus immediately and begin quarantining at home. If you are unable to leave campus immediately, Berklee will work with you to find temporary accommodations so that you can quarantine without delay.
• Faculty teaching responsibilities while in quarantine: If a substitute teacher is needed for a faculty member who cannot conduct classes due to COVID-19 or another illness, the current policy for class coverage and substitutes will apply. It can be found in the Policies and Guides section under Faculty Resources on the Academic Affairs website (login required).
• Staff work responsibilities while in quarantine: If you are a staff member who must quarantine, Human Resources will be in contact with you and coordinate with your manager on all work-related adjustments and accommodations.
• Resuming on-campus activity: You will quarantine for eight to 10 days, and will be able to return to campus after you receive a negative test result and are symptom-free. The exact length of your quarantine will depend on guidance from our partners at Tufts Medical Center at that time. Throughout the semester, continue to complete the daily symptom reporting and follow the guidelines detailed in the social compact.

Once fully vaccinated, you are still expected to comply with all Berklee health and safety protocols, including (but not limited to) testing, daily symptom reporting, and mask-wearing. 

Per the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) guidelines, even if you are vaccinated, you must quarantine if you are identified as a close contact of someone who tests positive. You also must continue to follow the Massachusetts travel guidelines. 

While the CDC guidelines state that vaccinated people do not need to quarantine, Berklee follows the stricter Massachusetts DPH guidelines, which do require vaccinated people to quarantine. Berklee follows CDC recommendations except in cases where the state of Massachusetts has stricter policies; in those situations, Berklee adheres to the more rigorous Massachusetts guidelines.

Berklee continues to monitor the CDC’s and the Massachusetts DPH’s recommendations and will adapt this policy as necessary. 

If you have not yet gotten the COVID-19 vaccine, we strongly encourage you to get it as soon as you are eligible. You can find more details on the state’s website about the rollout of the vaccine in Massachusetts, when you will be eligible, and how to schedule an appointment.