Dear Guild Community,

With news about the Omicron variant of COVID, many are wondering what steps The Guild is taking to keep your loved ones safe and connected to family during this season of celebration.

The Guild continues with COVID surveillance testing of staff weekly, no matter vaccination status. Through this testing, The Guild’s COVID positivity rate has remained near zero since the last community notice on August 16, 2021. Unfortunately, The Guild’s positivity rate has ticked up to 1.9 percent in the last two weeks, with six houses subject to some visitation limitations. Nearly all cases have been discovered through surveillance testing and are asymptomatic, breakthrough cases. 

This increase comes alongside rising trends in COVID infections locally and globally, which elevates concern for The Guild’s residents and students. The Guild will continue to operate under current COVID-related guidance for masking, vaccination, visitation, and isolation. Unfortunately, given the rising infection rates, The Guild will not host indoor, multi-family holiday celebrations this year. On-site and off-site visitation will continue under current protocols, except when there is a potential COVID exposure at a residence.

Given the ever-changing circumstances of the pandemic, these practices are subject to alteration by government directives or pressing events. We will keep you informed as information becomes available. As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to your loved one’s team or me directly with questions.

Take care,
Amy C. Sousa, Ph.D. 
Chief Executive Officer