Updated Guidance on Holiday Travel and COVID-19 Testing

Jeffrey Hescock and Ann Becker, co-directors of the Public Health Promotion Center (PHPC), write to all UMass Amherst students about new guidance from Gov. Baker stating that students should receive a negative COVID-19 test result within 72 hours of their planned departure from campus for Thanksgiving.

That email is as follows:

Dear Student,

We are writing with an update regarding public health protocols and your holiday travel plans. Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker today released new guidance to colleges and universities stating that students planning to return home should first receive a negative COVID-19 test result within 72 hours of their planned departure.

The Governor’s new guidance coincides with our recent message of getting tested two to three days prior to your departure from campus. The Public Health Promotion Center is open this week, today through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and next Monday and Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Please schedule your appointment using the Campus Health Hub.

Thank you for your commitment to timely COVID testing, which is critical to the mitigation of community spread and early detection of infection.

Sincerely,

Co-Directors of the Public Health Promotion Center (PHPC)

Jeffrey Hescock, Executive Director of Environmental Health and Safety
Ann Becker, Public Health Director