September 24, 2020

Dear students,

We are ending this fourth week of classes with still-low COVID-19 numbers: no new positive test results for 12 days in Yale College, no undergraduates in isolation, and none in quarantine. I am very grateful to you for being so attentive to keeping to your testing schedules, staying six feet apart from one another, covering your face in public, and adhering to the community compact in both letter and spirit. Thank you.

You were able to form your good habits during the arrival quarantine, when you restricted your movements to your residence. Now that you have been moving around campus and the community, this is a good time to remember to keep up those habits. They not only protect the public's health as well as your own; they also put others at ease by showing thoughtfulness and courtesy, which are very much appreciated when you are entering another residential college, a library, the gym, or any of the other places you visit off campus.

The good work you are doing now will become all the more important in the weeks ahead, as the weather cools and we spend more time indoors. Make sure you are being consistent in your actions, encouraging others if they are getting a little too close or forgetting to cover their face. It's okay to say something, and it's okay if someone says something to you. We are all relying on each other to stay healthy.

One final reminder: get a flu shot if you haven't already. Because COVID-19 and flu cause similar symptoms, reducing flu in the community preserves healthcare resources. On specific days, you will be able to get a flu shot at the site where you get your twice-weekly test. No appointment is needed. For the full schedule, and for more information, you can check Yale HEALTH's Flu Information for Yale Undergraduates, available here.

With best wishes for the weekend and the week ahead.

Sincerely,

Marvin M. Chun 
Dean of Yale College 
Richard M. Colgate Professor of Psychology; Neuroscience; Cognitive Science