Quarantine Policies for Students Arriving or Returning On- or Off-Campus
For Students Living Off-Campus
For Students Living Off-Campus
PLEASE NOTE: These instructions pertain to all students, except those who are fully vaccinated, and their partners arriving or returning to off-campus housing (including Soldier’s Field Park and One Western Avenue) from outside of Massachusetts. Students who have received a positive COVID-19 diagnosis within the past 90 days should follow the instructions below except for the testing requirements. Students who have been fully vaccinated may access campus following a single negative PCR test. The instructions may be updated based on any changes in guidance from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and Harvard University.
The instructions below are a bit stricter than the current guidance from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Here’s why. The Harvard campus, like other university campuses, is a “congregate setting”—a location in which many individuals from various geographies convene for sustained periods to work, learn, and live. As such, the campus is especially prone to outbreaks of COVID-19 soon after an influx of new or returning community members. Our goal is to reduce the chances of an outbreak of COVID-19 in our community. We hope that if we can accomplish that goal, we can increase the speed with which infection levels decline to a point where the restrictions can be eased. When that happens, we can begin to return to regular classes and campus life, which we all desire.
All unvaccinated students arriving or returning from outside of Massachusetts should follow the protocol below, which we hope will be made a bit easier with the supports we have put in place. Students who have received a positive COVID-19 diagnosis within the past 90 days should follow the instructions below except for the testing requirements. Students who have been fully vaccinated may access campus following a single negative PCR test.
- To help us care for one another as well as ourselves, please limit your interactions with others before arriving or returning to your residence. Each person’s individual choices directly impact the safety and health of every other member of the HBS community.
- Prior to arrival, complete the Massachusetts Travel Form, unless you are arriving from a lower-risk state.
- Upon arrival or return, you must wear a mask and keep at least 6 feet (2 meters) of physical distance from other people at all times.
- Self-quarantine in your residence as quickly as possible. You should not enter campus,
participate in activities with others, or access indoor common spaces during quarantine.
However, picking up or dropping off a test kit is an approved quarantine activity.
Self-quarantine in your residence as quickly as possible. You should not enter campus, participate in activities with others, or access indoor common spaces during quarantine. However, picking up or dropping off a test kit is an approved quarantine activity.
- Get tested for COVID-19 as soon as possible after your arrival through Harvard University
Health Services' (HUHS) self-administered testing protocol. Testing costs through HUHS are covered by HBS.
Observed testing is still available. If you would like to participate in observed testing, please register.
- Following your test, continue your self-quarantine (under the above guidelines) for
one week (7 days). Even if you receive a negative test result, you must continue your
quarantine until you complete a second test (7 days after the first) and receive a
second negative result.
After receiving one negative viral test result, off-campus students (including residents of Soldier’s Field Park and One Western Avenue) may leave their apartment to pick up to go food at off-campus restaurants. Residents of SFP and OWA may pick up to go food in the Spangler Center dining area, but should return to their apartment to consume their food. Beyond picking up food or picking up / dropping off test kits, off-campus students should not access campus, should limit their time in outdoor spaces, and should always wear a mask and maintain at least 6 feet of distance from others.
- Take a second self-administered test 7 days after your first test.
- Following your second test, continue your self-quarantine (under the above guidelines)
until you receive your test result.
If both tests come back negative, your quarantine is complete. You may then move freely around campus and off campus, being mindful at all times of Harvard and Massachusetts guidelines for mask wearing and physical distancing.
If one of your tests comes back positive, you will be contacted by HUHS for further instruction about how and where to isolate.
A NOTE ON PARTNERS: Upon arrival into Massachusetts, partners will need to follow current state of MA guidance on quarantine. If the partner plans to test out of quarantine, and needs a test, the MA Emergency Management Agency COVID-19 Test Site Locator is a useful resource for finding local testing locations.