Dartmouth to require weekly testing, masks indoors for fall term

Dartmouth College has announced it will require weekly COVID-19 testing and a mask mandate indoors for their upcoming fall semester, The Associated Press reported.

In a campuswide email sent Friday, the school said that vaccinated students will be tested weekly, with unvaccinated students being tested twice a week. 

Schools officials also plan on using the Boss Tennis Center as an isolation housing alternative in case of a significant COVI-19 outbreak, according to the AP. 

Campus buildings have been opened to enrolled students and faculty only and mask mandates are not required in dorm rooms, laboratories, offices and private spaces on campus, the AP reported. 

Dartmouth’s interim provost David Kotz and Executive Vice President Rick Mills said in the email that the school must remain “vigilant” to address community needs and to protect those who haven’t been administered the vaccine yet. 

This comes as other schools including the University of South Carolina and Arkansas University have implemented similar COVID-19 safety measures in response to the recent surge of the delta variant. 

Dartmouth College begins its fall semester Monday, the AP noted.