Wellness and Support

The quarantine process limits a person’s movement during the period when it is unclear whether they have the virus. If a person is quarantining after traveling, they will be instructed to limit their movements outside of their rooms during the quarantine period (7 days between COVID-19 tests). That means you cannot have direct contact with anyone else and you must stay in your room except to use your assigned bathroom or to get packages or food while wearing a face covering.

Quarantining residents who need to launder items will be required to wear a face covering and avoid touching door handles directly or using elevators while outside their room. Students should use the available WashLava app to ensure washer/dryer availability before leaving their room. Residents can also leave the building for about an hour to exercise each day, wearing their face covering the entire time. While outside the room, residents must keep six feet apart from other people and wear a face covering at all times, including around people known to the resident.

All events and parties within residence halls and FSILGs are prohibited until further notice. Additionally, MIT students are not permitted to organize or to attend events or parties off campus until further notice. Our biggest concern is students holding events and parties like the ones we read about in the news that have shut down other colleges and universities and undermined the wellbeing of thousands of community members. Boston mayor Marty Walsh said it succinctly: “Do not have parties.” 

The goal of these policies is to limit the spread of Covid-19. MIT has taken a conservative approach to the on-campus fall ramp-up by limiting access to campus, requiring daily attestations and regular testing for those who have access, and restricting interactions and the size of gatherings. While inconvenient, these policies are informed by science and public health guidance. For more information about risk factors that impact the spread of the virus, see these brief articles from MIT’s Institute for Data, Systems, and Society (IDSS).

These policies will be revisited on an ongoing basis and will be adjusted as needed to reflect current public health guidance and conditions.

Guidance:

Students should apply good judgment and common sense when considering their social interactions. Factors that influence how Covid spreads include the number of contacts one has with others; the duration of time spent in the presence of others; the behavior of others (e.g., wearing face-coverings, physical distancing, personal hygiene), the size of a gathering; the location (e.g., indoors vs. outdoors); the ventilation and capacity of a space; and space cleaning. Whether one lives on- or off-campus, there are ways students may connect socially in a safe manner (see examples below). However, events and parties are prohibited by this policy. 

According to updated policies from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, in-person gatherings will not be allowed beyond 9:30 pm beginning Friday, November 6, 2020 (this does not impact undergraduate residential pods). Failure to comply with provisions set forth by the recent Executive Order may result in a fine from the Commonwealth of up to $500 and potential disciplinary action by the Institute. [Italicized text added November 6, 2020] 
 

Examples of acceptable social connections that are not events or parties:

A small circle of close friends, who socialize only with each other and who limit their interactions outside of the group, is generally safer than interacting with a broader group of people. The idea behind forming a small group of no more than six people is that people can relax adhering to physical distancing or wearing a face-covering when in the presence of those in the group. All members of the group agree to abide by an honor system whereby they will take several precautions, including limiting their interactions with others. See MIT’s IDSS analysis of pods for more information. 

• Residential undergraduate students may form a pod in their residence hall (see Covid-19 Residential Pod Program). As a reminder, undergraduate pods participating in MIT’s testing protocol are strongly encouraged to maintain the integrity of their pod, and as such, socializing with friends outside of their pod is discouraged.
• Residential graduate students are encouraged to review the graduate residence hall guest policy for additional information about guests and visitors. 
• Off campus students may maintain a small group of friends. See MIT’s IDSS analysis of pods for more information.  Off-campus students are permitted to socialize in groups of 10 outdoors and six (6) individuals indoors; ideally, these indoor groups should remain intact and not involve different people.
• Non-local off-campus students should follow the appropriate guidance and laws of their town, state, or country of residence for safe social connections. (Italicized text added 10-9-20) 

Students who live on- or off-campus may take a walk or engage in fitness activities outside in pairs or with small groups of friends. Other examples of ways students can interact safely is by having a picnic or enjoying a coffee in an outdoor space with a few friends. 

Students may attend religious or family gatherings that are in compliance with state and local guidelines.  Students may also attend off-campus gyms or participate in recreational fitness activities that are in compliance with state and local guidelines. (Italicized text added 10-9-20)

Students are able to meet in groups of 10 outdoors on campus [see the section “Outdoor Common Space” below].

Students inside the residence halls can use pre-approved space as determined by Housing & Residential Services and the House Team [see the section “Indoor  Common Space” below].  

Summary Chart: