Dear I-House Alumni and Friends,
With gratitude for the generosity of alumni and friends, thank you International House Global Community for all of your support in 2021.
As we look forward to the Spring term (beginning January 12, 2022), I-House staff members have been preparing to apply the successes and lessons learned throughout the COVID-19 pandemic now continuing into a third year. I’d like to share with you, our alumni and friends, an update and some of the steps we are taking to make the return to I-House as safe, and with as little disruption, as possible.
Throughout the Fall term, I-House experienced a number of positive COVID cases. While one case is too many, we felt very fortunate that each case was quickly identified, isolated from the community, and no further spread was seen within the house as a result. During the break over the past two weeks, there were additional residents who tested positive. The impacted residents were quickly identified and put into isolation (some were already traveling or isolated outside of I-House). This past week we had a number of staff members test positive as well. What we have seen over the past two weeks with the Omicron variant reminds us that this is still a very active virus, and we will all need to work together to protect our community.
In coordination with Campus, and in compliance with public health and safety guidelines, residents and staff are encouraged and expected to receive booster shots when eligible. All are expected to receive a negative COVID test prior to returning to I-House. Compliance with the mandatory use of face coverings (KN-95 or N-95 masks) and social distancing will continue to be required while inside I-House.
We expect disruption to some services during the first three weeks (January 12 - February 2) depending on the impacts on staffing, delivery of meals to isolated residents, and the new number of residents we can reasonably accommodate within the dining hall under current restrictions (fewer seats and greater social distancing). In addition, in-person gatherings have been canceled/postponed until further notice. We will reassess the situation after February 2nd with the hope of returning to our previous policies once the public health situation improves.
On behalf of the I-House Board and staff, I wish to express my appreciation for residents taking the necessary steps to help protect themselves and our community.
Sincerely,
Shaun R. Carver
Executive Director
International House, UC Berkeley
