MEDFORD, MASS. (WHDH) - The mayors of Medford and Somerville are asking Tufts University to reconsider reopening their campus for the fall semester amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The university announced in June that they would start welcoming back students to campus on Sept. 8 with enhanced guidelines in place.
“Our comprehensive plan for re-opening, which is based on the work and guidance of medical and scientific experts, protects the health and safety of our students, faculty, staff and the residents of our host communities, and goes above and beyond all local, state and federal guidelines for reopening higher education,” a university spokesperson said in a statement on Tuesday.
Somerville Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone and Medford Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn sent a letter to Tufts University President Anthony Monaco on Monday to express their “serious concern” with the reopening plan in light of the recent uptick in coronavirus cases.
“We are concerned that inviting students to return so quickly and without a more careful staggered approach, without proper time for assessment and necessary adjustments, will significantly increase the risk of transmission in our communities and catalyze a potentially unmanageable increase in infections as we enter the fall and winter seasons,” the mayors wrote. “Tufts students, staff, and faculty are an integral part of both of our communities and our ultimate goal is a safe resumption of the University’s operation that balances all of our community members’ needs.”
They listed seven requests for Tufts University, which are:
- Thoroughly reassess the Fall 2020 reopening plan through a peer-review process;
- Reduce student population size both on- and off-campus;
- Stagger the return of students. In particular, delay the return of in-region students both on and off-campus while refining protocols and procedures, and enforcement measures, for students returning to the area in the first phase of your reopening plan;
- Consider providing increased onsite faculty and staff testing comparable to student testing requirements;
- Clarify off-campus enforcement protocols including any related follow-up, disciplinary action, health screening, and testing;
- Reexamine and clarify student and faculty mobility protocols on and off-campus; and
- Provide detailed testing process/protocols, contact tracing plans, daily data matrix, and de-identified enforcement/violation data to both Somerville and Medford.
The university spokesperson said that, “As we have since March, we look forward to continuing to work closely with local officials to discuss our reopening plans and to address any questions or concerns they may have. We look forward to finding new ways to partner with our host communities as we continue to navigate through this pandemic.”
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