Dear Colleagues,
Two positive cases of COVID-19 were confirmed today, December 22, for individuals who are MBL employees. One individual has not been on campus since March. The other individual does work on campus but was not in contact with any other staff. As such, contact tracing of MBL employees is not necessary.
Both individuals are self-isolating in accordance with Massachusetts Department of Public Health and CDC protocols. Under state and federal health privacy laws, no further information about the individuals is available. To date, four positive cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed on the MBL campus since the start of the pandemic.
We urge all faculty and staff to remain vigilant about social distancing, wearing masks, and practicing proper hygiene. As cases rise in the community, we want to stress in particular the importance of keeping a social distance of 6 feet or greater. By following this guideline, the requirement for any individual to be quarantined due to potential exposure will be minimized.
If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, such as a fever, chills, respiratory illness, aches or change in taste and smell, please stay home and get a COVID-19 test. Testing can be done either through your primary healthcare provider or at one of the testing sites located throughout the state.
If anyone has any questions or concerns, please contact Human Resources at hr@mbl.edu. In addition, information on COVID-19 guidance and policies are available at https://goforward.mbl.edu/.
Sincerely,
Paul Speer
Chief Operating Officer