As our school year begins today with the return of local students to the Ray, Richmond Middle and Hanover High Schools and the initial arrival of the first group of what will ultimately be 2,300 Dartmouth students returning to live on-campus and hundreds to live off-campus, the Town of Hanover wants to acquaint you with information and resources available to you as we all navigate over the next several weeks.
General Dartmouth COVID Information
The College maintains a very detailed COVID webpage which anyone is free to access in order to receive updates on current Dartmouth policies regarding everything from their COVID testing protocol to requirements students must adhere to during the term based on the Community Expectations Agreement each student must sign if they plan to attend Dartmouth, either in person or virtually, at any time this academic year. You can access that webpage on the Dartmouth website.
Observed Violations of Campus COVID Policies
If you observe any violations of Dartmouth’s COVID policies, which apply to students living both on-campus and off-campus, you may report those violations in one of three ways:
- You can call Hanover Dispatch on their non-emergency, business line by dialing 603-643-2222. Responding dispatchers will log your complaint and Town staff will follow up promptly. In particular, it is important that you make your report as soon as you observe a violation (like a large social gathering on an off-campus rental property, etc) so that Hanover Police and/or Fire staff can respond to the location, observe the violation and alert the Town’s Health Officers who will initiate enforcement actions in collaboration with Dartmouth staff.
- Concerns about violations of Dartmouth’s COVID-19 policies by members of the Dartmouth community may be reported using this form available on the Dartmouth Office of Community Standards and Accountability webpage. Please note that this is not an emergency response tool.
- For reports of a non-urgent nature, you may also email the Town’s Health Officers:
- email Michael Hinsley
- email Ryan Borkowski
- email Rob Houseman
- One of them will respond on the next business day. Please note that Dartmouth has forbidden any students, whether living on-campus or off-campus, to participate in any drinking games such as beer pong because they are a major source of COVID exposure. Please be advised that if you observe any students playing alcohol games like beer pong off-campus, the address should be reported to Dartmouth immediately.
- Please note that Dartmouth has forbidden any students, whether living on-campus or off-campus, to participate in any drinking games such as beer pong because they are a major source of COVID exposure. Please be advised that if you observe any students playing alcohol games like beer pong off-campus, the address should be reported to Dartmouth immediately.
Tracking COVID-19 in the Dartmouth Community:
As part of Dartmouth’s comprehensive COVID-19 testing program, and to keep you informed, they have launched a tracking dashboard. Visit Dartmouth's COVID dashboard to see how many people in the Dartmouth community have been tested, find overall testing results, and see how many individuals on our campus are in isolation or quarantining. In addition, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services has launched a dashboard of current cases and outbreaks for all schools in the state, view the dashboard.
Town of Hanover Emergency Public Health Ordinances
The Hanover Selectboard has recently adopted two Emergency Public Health Ordinances designed to help reduce the likelihood of COVID-19 transmission. These ordinances will remain in place as long as the COVID virus continues to pose a risk to the general public.
- View Ordinance #39, Emergency Masks (PDF)
- This ordinance requires masks to be worn on all Town public property including sidewalks and parking lots where maintaining 6 feet of distance between yourself and another person is difficult. This is particularly important in Downtown Hanover where maintaining 6 feet of distance between you and other pedestrians can be very difficult to do. Masks are also mandatory all over the Dartmouth campus, which includes the Dartmouth Green. Masks must also be worn by all visitors to restaurants and retail establishments and other commercial establishments and must be worn by all retail and restaurant employees. Do not question – please wear a mask at all times. Violations are punishable by a $100, $200 and final $500 fine plus a mandatory court appearance after an initial warning. The ordinance applies to all individuals except children under the age of 2 years old.
- View Ordinance #40, Emergency Public Health Regulation (PDF)
- This ordinance requires the following on all residential properties within the Town of Hanover.
- All gatherings on or in residential properties in Hanover shall be limited to fewer than ten (10) people not including the residents of the properties.
- All gatherings will require a designated host who shall maintain the following contact information on all guests: • Name • Email • Telephone number • Property address and unit number.
- Exceptions to the fewer than (10) person limit will be considered by the Town upon the submittal of an Activities Permit to the Town of Hanover which provides the opportunity to carefully review the elements of the proposed event and to determine if effective safety protocols can be put in place.
- All owners of property or their authorized agents shall be prepared to provide the following information for each occupant residing at a property, whether or not they are signatories to a lease of the unit, immediately upon request of the State Division of Public Health Services via the Town Health Officer and Deputy Health Officers in the event of a need to conduct contact tracing due to a potential COVID exposure: Name, Email, Telephone number, Property address and unit number.
- Any violation of this Regulation shall be a violation, punishable by: (1) a verbal warning; (2) a citation and a fine of $200; and (3) a citation and a fine of $1,000, in each case where each infraction constitutes a separate fine.
Special Alert for Parents of Hanover Middle School and High School Students:
In general, Town staff and local retailers and restaurant owners are observing that our own local middle school and high school students are not wearing masks when they are in Downtown Hanover. Please make sure your students know that the community expects all youth and teens over age 2 to wear masks at all times when in Downtown Hanover, entering local businesses and restaurants, walking to and from the school buildings and visiting any public parks.