SDP Convening 2023: Staying Safe at SDP Convening

Harvard recommends that all community members, including attendees of the SDP Convening, be up-to-date on vaccinations for COVID-19, or have a valid exemption.

Harvard students, staff, and faculty have verified their vaccinations directly with the university. In your conference registration, you will be asked to attest that you meet the above vaccination policy. However, we will not need to verify your vaccination directly.

To protect your home community and the SDP network, we strongly encourage you get tested prior to attending convening, and we will provide every conference attendee with two rapid tests for their use.

Additional tests are available in most pharmacies, are reimbursable by most insurance plans, and often come in packs of two. Consider testing before you leave home and again at the conference.

At this time, wearing a mask is not required while attending SDP Convening. We recommend it, as wearing a well-fitting N95 and KN95 face mask indoors still protects against COVID infection and will reduce the risk of spread.

Please respect the preferences of those who choose to maintain masking. Some may choose to continue masking due to their own health situations or those of loved ones, including those with compromised immune systems, elderly relatives, and parents of young children. Be respectful of the different needs and preferences of others, and please accommodate the requests of those who ask you to wear a mask when in close proximity.

We strongly recommend wearing a well-fitting mask while in transit, especially in crowded transportation terminals, while boarding and deboarding, and anywhere with limited air flow.

We also recommend that everyone continue to carry a mask for situations in which masking may be required.

We encourage you to stay home if you have proof of exposure in the 3-5 days before convening. You can test on Day 5 after your exposure, please verify with 2 negative rapid tests, or 1 negative PCR test. We ask that you wear a well-fitting mask while at the SDP Convening if you have been exposed.

If you are at the SDP Convening when you receive notification you may have been exposed, please immediately put on a well-fitting mask.

We encourage you to stay home if you have symptoms of COVID-like illness within the 7 days before convening. If you are sure that it is not COVID-19, please verify with 2 negative rapid tests, or 1 negative PCR test. We ask that you also wear a well-fitting mask while at the SDP Convening.

If you experience symptoms of COVID-like illness while at the SDP Convening, please immediately put on a well-fitting mask and stay isolated in your room except to get tested. If you test negative but are still experiencing symptoms, you must wear a well-fitting mask around others at all times.

If you test positive, CDC guidelines require you stay at home and do not travel for at least five days. Harvard cannot be responsible for any expenses associated with your illness, or isolation, such as extending your hotel stay or changing your travel itinerary.

Our policies for staying safe at Convening 2023 will adapt with evolving public health conditions. Please continue to check back regularly.

Please contact Rebecca Marshall, SDP senior manager, with additional questions about staying safe at convening.