A message to the Penn community about COVID positivity rates
December 9, 2021
Over the past week of testing, we saw more confirmed COVID-19 positive cases after 3 days of testing (133) than we had the previous week (120). New COVID cases are primarily among students and are linked to indoor social gatherings.
There still have not been any documented COVID cases of classroom or workplace transmission.
Since increases in COVID-19 positivity are also seen in Philadelphia (7%) and Montgomery counties (9.7%), and out of an abundance of caution, the University is announcing that all indoor social events are cancelled for the remainder of the semester.
As we head into the final weeks of the semester, it is our collective responsibility to mitigate further widespread positivity that would prevent students from completing their academic requirements and traveling home for the holidays.
Continue to remain vigilant and follow all public health guidance to minimize risk of transmission. Masking, vaccines, testing, and avoiding social gatherings remain our best tools to minimize transmission.
We are continuing to monitor the situation and will adapt our public health guidance accordingly.
For more information, please visit the Penn Coronavirus Website.
Beth A. Winkelstein, Interim Provost
Craig Carnaroli, Senior Executive Vice President
Benoit Dubé, Associate Provost and Chief Wellness Officer