Important Coronavirus Update
March 17, 2021
Aspire vaccination clinics have been completed in Massachusetts, Maryland, and New Hampshire. Hundreds of individuals, employees, and providers are now protected from COVID-19 illness. Thank you to all those who have been vaccinated. Connecticut has two remaining clinic dates. Contact your supervisor regarding current vaccine clinic availability in Connecticut.
Did you miss the Aspire vaccine clinics in your state? Because of the work that you do at Aspire, you are eligible to receive the vaccine and can still get vaccinated through the many sites available to the public. NPR put together a great tool for finding out how to sign up in your state.
Still thinking it over? Listen to these Aspire employees talk about their initial hesitation and why they decided to get vaccinated:
Sherry Lynn MacNeil
Ezax Smith
As vaccination becomes widespread, life will begin to shift toward normal. It’s now projected that vaccination will be available to all adults in the U.S. by May 1. The CDC has already published new guidance for vaccinated people who are not living in congregate settings:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated-guidance.html
The guidance is different for people in long-term care, and Aspire is monitoring CDC recommendations closely as we develop new guidance for our own programs. Stay tuned for updates—this situation can change quickly.
Travel Guidance Update!
Aspire Living & Learning recognizes that some of the states where we operate have lifted some or all of their travel restrictions. At the same time, the CDC recommends against travel, even for those who are vaccinated. See the CDC guidance here:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/travel-during-covid19.html
We are updating our policy on travel in an attempt to balance these competing recommendations and the desire of employees and providers to travel outside their states. Our policy won’t satisfy everyone, but it will help us get through this stretch of the pandemic as safely as we can.
If you are vaccinated: Anyone who travels from a state that doesn’t require travel quarantine must be tested for COVID-19 upon return and may return to work with a negative test result. If your state requires post-travel quarantine, then we will require that quarantine as well. Note that state requirements may vary based on your travel destination.
If you are not vaccinated: Anyone who travels out of state and is not vaccinated will need to follow the CDC travel guidance, which includes testing and a seven-day quarantine post-travel. CDC guidance can be found at
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/travel-during-covid19.html#before-you-travel
What hasn’t changed: We still need to wear masks, social distance, and avoid large gatherings. For a refresher:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html
Be aware that the situation can change rapidly, depending on the numbers of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, positivity rates, and deaths. We understand that travel requires advance planning and financial commitments, but we can’t guarantee that the policy today will be the same at any point in the future. Canada and Europe are seeing another surge, and Italy is back in full lockdown. We urge you to make only those travel plans that can be postponed or re-arranged if needed.
Please contact your People Department regarding the use of personal or sick time during quarantine, or if you need assistance.
Thank you for keeping yourself and our community safe!