Updated March 31, 2021

On March 22, 2021, the Massachusetts Travel Order was replaced with a Travel Advisory

University-related Travel by UMass Amherst Employees and Students

This is the latest university-related travel guidance. The university is following the Massachusetts Travel Order, which includes the following:

As of Monday, March 22, all visitors entering Massachusetts, including returning residents, are advised to quarantine for 10 days upon their arrival. Travelers in the following categories are exempt from this quarantine advisory:

• Travelers who have received a negative COVID-19 result on a test administered not more than 72 hours prior to their arrival in Massachusetts. Travelers may also test out of the quarantine advisory after arrival in Massachusetts, as long as they quarantine until receiving a negative test result.
   
• Anyone who is entering Massachusetts for fewer than 24 hours.

• Anyone who is returning to Massachusetts after being out of the State for fewer than 24 hours.
   
• Workers who enter Massachusetts to perform critical infrastructure functions (as specified by the Federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency) during required commuting to or from work and while at work.

• Travelers who are fully vaccinated (i.e., who have received two doses of either the Moderna or Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines OR who have received a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, 14 days or more ago) and who do not have symptoms.

All travelers are encouraged to consult and follow the CDC’s guidelines and requirements for travel.

Please visit the Massachusetts Travel Advisory website for more information

If you choose to quarantine for 10 days please be advised that the university does not provide quarantine accommodations.

University-related Travel Procedures

• University-related travel is restricted for faculty and staff, as well as students. Examples of university-related travel include conferences, research, colloquia, data gathering, fieldwork, archival work, human subject research, and student organization sponsored/organized travel, to any location. Please see exceptional approval process below.
• Travel to international or to domestic locations is permitted only with an exceptional approval (see details below). Exceptional approvals generally will not be granted if a quarantine would interfere with the performance of university duties. All exceptionally approved travel, international or domestic, must be entered in the Travel Registry, whether or not reimbursement is requested.
• Travelers are responsible for following any governmental or public health directives in effect at their destination, such as quarantine on arrival. Travelers returning from any domestic or international locations must adhere to the UMass Travel Policy. 
• All travel by air is discouraged and public transportation should be avoided where possible.
• Travel by auto to any location should be restricted to no more than half of the seats occupied, wearing face coverings and windows open.
• Environmental Health & Safety will work with departments on travel for instructional purposes.

Exceptional Approval Process

Exceptions for faculty, staff or student travel will require approval from the department supervisor, college dean or unit director, and the appropriate vice chancellor. All exception requests must address the topics in the COVID-19 Travel Request Exception Checklists along with additional guidance as applicable,for example for research involving human subjects.

International Travel: Requests for all university-related international travel require exceptional case-by-case approval. Exceptions for faculty, staff or student travel will require a recommendation from the dean and approval from the provost. All exception requests must address the topics in the COVID-19 Travel Request Exception Checklists along with additional guidance as applicable, e.g., for research involving fieldwork and human subjects. Deans should send their recommendations concerning exceptions to Kalpen Trivedi, associate provost for international programs, at ktrivedi@umass.edu. Any additional approvals required, e.g., for research activities, will be arranged by IPO.

Visiting the UMass Amherst campus

All visitors to the UMass campus must follow the Massachusetts Travel Advisory.

For all university-related business visitors to UMass, the following guidelines apply:

• Vendors and service providers entering labs should follow the procedures established by Environmental Health & Safety 
• All visitors must have a UMass host who will inform their supervisor or department chair with basic information about visitors (name, dates, contact information, overview of activities and facilities involved) and obtain permission if required. 

The host is responsible for:

• Informing the visitor of any UMass and state requirements related to COVID-19 response,
• Communicating all UMass campus and community guidelines and requirements to the visitor, obtaining any additional permissions related to the visitor including updating Research and Libraries Operating Plans (RLOPs) as appropriate, requesting library access, obtaining a U-Card (if applicable), etc. For visitors who plan to stay for more than a few days, e.g., to access labs, libraries, etc., the host should arrange a Non-Employee, Non-Student (NENS) account for the visitor.  This is the mechanism by which the visitor can obtain a UMass NetID, participate in a Research & Libraries Operating Plan, EH&S training, etc.
• Ensuring that the visitor has completed any required trainings for safety protocols necessary for their work or access to labs or equipment.

The visitor is responsible for:

• Completing the UMass COVID-19 Daily Self Checklist each day prior to coming to campus or participating in campus activities
• Complying with UMass guidelines and requirements
• Keeping careful records of their itineraries, including any close contacts (within six feet for 10 to 15 minutes) arising during the travel, to facilitate contact tracing should the need arise.