The Pandemic Outside the United States
May 4, 2021
Dear Students and Colleagues,
Our public-health situation is improving in the Upper Valley right now, with vaccinations increasing and guidance evolving around Covid-19 safety protocols. This progress is extremely gratifying—and yet we all need to continue playing our part adhering to current public-health guidelines. At the same time, with this message I am writing to ask everyone to please keep in mind and in heart those around the world who are still enduring the throes of the pandemic.
From its earliest days, the pandemic has inflicted harm unequally around the world. It first hit hard in China and many European countries such as Italy, France, and Spain; it then spread far and wide, including to the United States; and of late it has resurged in South America and South Asia, in particular in Brazil and now India. These inequalities seem more jarring today than before because now there are vaccines that offer a path to defeating the pandemic.
Many in our Tuck community are from or have loved ones in countries where current conditions are especially dire. Even as we enjoy safer and more open conditions here, let us also honor and support these community members—and those abroad who are struggling hardest with this wicked virus.
Dartmouth has formed a high-level task force to plan for and manage possible disruptions related to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, monitor federal and state recommendations, implement guidance, and communicate with our community.