Dear MMA Students,

We hope this email finds you well, rested, and ready for the start of the Spring 2021 semester. Remote instruction will begin on Monday, January 11. While we know this is not an ideal situation for your college experience, we are doing everything we can to fulfill our educational mission while also preventing the spread of COVID-19 on this campus and to minimize the need to isolate and quarantine members of our community.

As of this writing, there have been no changes to our current plans. We will conduct two weeks of remote instruction starting on Monday, January 11. Remote instruction will conclude on Friday, January 22. The week of January 25 will be a transition week. You will be tested during that time to ensure a safe return to campus for all.

Please remember the following as you prepare to return:

• We ask that all students self-quarantine for the two weeks of remote learning and that you limit your exposure to others as much as possible. During this period, you will be asked to complete the COVID-19 Health Self-Assessment, available on the portal or the MMA app, several times.
• When you arrive on campus, you will need to submit documentation of a negative PCR or antigen(rapid) test, taken within the week prior to your arrival. If you are arriving by air, please make sure that you receive your test results prior to your flight.
• Information about testing sites in Maine is available here.  If you get tested at one of the sites listed on the Maine CDC website, we have been advised there should be no charge for your test.
• Once you arrive on campus, you will participate in the entry testing program and quarantine in your on- or off-campus housing until your test results are received.  Your arrival and testing date will be posted on the MyStudentLife portal by January 11.  Those arriving by air will be assigned a check-in time on Wednesday, January 27^th.

If you contracted COVID-19 during the break period, please notify Dorothea Woods of your positive diagnosis so that we can remove you from the testing schedule. You will remain off the schedule for 90 days after your initial positive test date. You must provide documentation of this diagnosis to be exempted from the testing; this is because research has shown that patients may continue to test positive for 3 months after their initial exposure, even though they are no longer contagious. By providing documentation, you will avoid having to isolate for a second ten-day period.

Additional details about all of our plans are available on the Spring 2021 section of the website.  If your questions are not answered there, please contact Dr. True. Please note that the campus will remain closed, except for those individuals who must work to prepare for opening, until the transition week of testing and quarantine.

In the meantime, stay safe and stay healthy. We look forward to seeing you in late January!