Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff:
I hope this note finds you well, and at the start of a new semester, engaged in good, meaningful work.
Many of you have reached out recently with questions regarding Covid-19, especially in light of recent developments with the vaccine. I hope to answer some of them here, for the benefit of others who may also be wondering.
From the start, we at NBSS made the health of our community our top priority during the pandemic. And though we have had limited incidents of exposure and positive cases, for the most part we’ve been able to maintain a healthy, safe, and productive environment. We have each other to thank for this, and it’s worth taking a moment to recognize your serious work and investment to this good end. I am heartened by the effort, and appreciate all the care that you take.
Still, even with light on the horizon, we mustn’t let down our guard. Remembering to follow protocols such as daily screening, proper mask wearing, physical distancing, and hand washing will continue to serve us well. Especially as we all grow accustomed to—or understandably tired of—our routines for health and safety, I encourage you to re-review them on our Reopening NBSS webpage here, and to continue them in your daily lives.
As you know, we will soon have another “tool” in our toolbox to further protect us from Covid-19: vaccination. You’ve likely been reading about the rollout, and may even have some experience with those around you being vaccinated. Our Response Team, with input from medical professionals and others, has also been keeping abreast of the latest information, the various vaccines, and the phases with which they are coming to the community.
By all accounts the approved vaccines are not a panacea, but they are safe and effective at reducing serious illness from Covid. It’s for this reason that we as a School feel confident that adding Covid vaccination to our community’s response will be a meaningful, effective way to maintain our continued health and safety.
While we are advocating for Vocational Schools to receive the vaccine as soon as possible, we won’t have control over the rollout of the vaccine at our School level—that’s being handled by the Commonwealth and federal government. So, we won’t be vaccinating people at NBSS. That requires infrastructure, training, and support we just don’t have. We will, of course, share information about the vaccine’s availability and vaccine locations as we move toward Phase Three, the designated phase for those in higher education in Massachusetts. For now, we’ll keep up with the other protocols (masks, distancing, etc) for the foreseeable future, and likely for some time after everyone is vaccinated.
And of course, while I’ve heard from many of you about your enthusiasm for the vaccine, I have to acknowledge that there may be some who may be hesitant about it. I encourage anyone feeling this way to reach out to your doctor, and to review the information provided by the CDC to learn more. This will be especially important as we develop more formal policies around vaccination, and as we look to the fall start, welcoming new students, and relying less on remote work.
As it has been at each stage of this pandemic, this is an evolving situation, and the process for vaccine distribution is dynamic too. Always, we’ll be sure to keep everyone informed via our website and communications like these.
As we move into midwinter, I am reminded of how far we as a community have come since reopening for in-person instruction just six months ago. And as we approach the one-year mark since our temporary closure, I am amazed at our progress. Thank you for your continued commitment and dedication—not only to your training, but to helping our community remain healthy and safe.
My best to you,
Sarah Turner
President
