We are writing this petition due to concern for the health and well being of the students, faculty and staff of Mount Holyoke College this upcoming semester. As Covid-19 has greatly affected the educational experience of all students for the past few years, the protective measures that were put in place minimized transmission and outbreaks, and allowed for a return to relative “normalcy”. Previous relaxing of Covid-19 restrictions led to increased cases on campus, particularly toward the end of Spring semester 2022, and it is deeply concerning that Covid precautions that proved effective this past year are not going to be available this upcoming semester.

As a community, we ask that asymptomatic testing returns for all students and staff, and is mandatory twice weekly as in past semesters. This will help minimize outbreaks within the campus community and ensure that individuals know if they may have been a close contact so they can act accordingly. We ask that masking remains in place in all indoor facilities, particularly classrooms, to reduce the spread of Covid-19 as well as limit the transmission of all airborne viruses and disease (common cold, flu and Monkeypox). Keeping masking in place will ensure safety in class for students and faculty as the average class is 1 hour and 15 minutes long, far longer than the period of time to be designated a close contact. Students and faculty must attend their classes, so masking in classrooms ensures safety for all and will help minimize disruptions that may occur due to Covid cases. Masking in class has been proven to be effective. A recent study conducted on Boston University’s campus showed that 0.0045% of possible covid cases occurred from in class transmission. That is only 9 tests out of 896 positive tests for a student body of 33,000.

Lastly, Covid-19 is no longer the only disease of concern with the rise of Monkeypox cases in recent weeks. We ask that the administration communicates a more detailed action plan for Monkeypox in case of an outbreak amongst the student body. We appreciate the informational email from Health Services sent on August 10th, and would like to see this information continuously shared on campus with more details about isolation protocols.

Testing and masking are simple provisions that the college already knows how to implement, and data from last year show that these provisions work, when implemented properly. We all want this pandemic to end, however, it is not over and will not end faster by allowing the Covid or Monkeypox virus to rip through our community.

To read the full statement, click here.

Please contact Sophie Coyne or Soli Guzman for any further questions or concerns.