The Bomber Bubble Starts at Home

By Christina Moylan, January 8, 2021
A message from Christina Moylan, Director of Public Health Emergency Preparedness.

Public Health Column video.

The first of our students are starting to arrive, bringing welcome vitality back to our campus. We are aware that this return comes while the SARS-CoV-2 virus continues to spread across the globe. It will take all of us working together, being mindful of all public health guidelines, to make this semester a success. It is critical to start our semester by building a solid Bomber Bubble.  

This year’s move-in process will not be a traditional arrival to campus for our first-year students or our returning students. Your commitment to the Bomber Bubble starts before you leave your permanent address to travel to the Ithaca area and will continue throughout the spring until May. 

Please eliminate in-person contact with people outside of your household, voluntarily complete a precautionary quarantine, and obtain a test for the SARS-CoV-2 virus before traveling. If you are traveling from a non-contiguous state or a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Level 2 or 3 country, you will also have to meet the requirements of the New York State Travel Advisory. This applies to students and any family member who may be traveling with them. 

"Your commitment to the Bomber Bubble starts before you leave your permanent address to travel to the Ithaca area and will continue throughout the spring until May." 

Christina Moylan, Director of Public Health Emergency Preparedness

If it is possible for students to travel to Tompkins County alone, that is preferred, in order to minimize the number of people coming to the area. If a family member must travel with a student, please try to limit this to just one person. Once here, please drop your student on campus or at their off-campus living arrangement and depart the area. Minimize your interactions with others, wear a face covering, and maintain 6 feet of physical distance so that our Bomber Bubble starts strong and we do not spread the virus throughout members of the broader community. 

This is the semester to pack light or ship, and to be able to handle your belongings yourself. Family members will not be permitted into campus buildings or residence halls. We have a carefully structured arrival testing and quarantine process that is logistically complex. Please respect the dedicated Ithaca College employees by following all instructions – these are people who are doing their very best to make this semester a success for students. We know that this is hard for families, but we are asking that you drop your student off and depart the area. Continuing to interact jeopardizes the benefits we accrue from the arrival testing and quarantine process for your student and all others.  

As we get into the groove of our spring semester, we are asking everyone – employees and students – to do a few things to keep our Bomber Bubble strong: 

  • Test as requested. Students will be providing a saliva sample twice a week, employees either weekly or every other week. 
  • Wear your face covering consistently. We will be providing each student with two reusable face coverings, however individuals should bring some of their own for backups. Check out @masksarehotic on Instagram for motivation. 
  • Maintain 6 feet of physical distance from others, and only gather when 6 feet of distance and face coverings are maintained.  
  • Pay attention to the visual and directional cues on campus. 
  • Wash your hands. 

Perhaps our most difficult request to maintain the Bomber Bubble is to stay in the area. Do not travel (even home for a visit) or invite visitors here. Travel significantly increases the risk of importing the virus into our community, which will shatter our Bomber Bubble, place members of our campus community in isolation or quarantine, and disrupt our ability to complete our spring semester. 

Let’s keep our numbers low, and our spirits high!    

Sincerely,             

Christina Moylan, Ph.D.             
Director of Public Health Emergency Preparedness