NDF Covid Policy

Wonderwell In-Person Retreats

Natural Dharma Fellowship is committed to keeping our visitors and staff as safe as possible.
Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.
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NDF COVID-19 Health and Safety

In 2021, NDF’s Board of Directors created a COVID Task Force composed of clinicians and public health professionals from our Sangha and charged them with making policy recommendations based on evolving CDC, federal, and state protocols and mandates. They continue to monitor:

  • public health conditions, (including case counts, hospitalizations, and other conditions)
  • federal, state, and local directives
  • CDC and local public health guidelines closely and will adjust this policy as circumstances warrant to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

In order to provide a safe and comfortable retreat environment, and to protect NDF Sangha and staff from potential exposure to COVID-19, the following risk mitigation measures will apply during in-person retreats:

Considering the latest COVID-19 guidelines from the CDC and state of New Hampshire, as of April 1, 2023, COVID vaccinations are no longer required to attend programs and retreats at Wonderwell.
The 60-person maximum capacity for residential retreats at Wonderwell allows for adequate spacing in the meditation hall and dining areas.

Retreatants may serve themselves from the buffet line, which is behind a plexiglass sneeze guard. 

Incorporate best practices for COVID-19 mitigation in your lifestyle and travel, at least during the 10 days before you visit Wonderwell. Use prevention strategies when traveling. If you have close contact with someone who is positive for Covid-19 or you test positive please follow the CDC guidelines here. This page also includes a handy COVID-19 quarantine and isolation calculator that can help you make your travel decision. Please continue to monitor for symptoms for 10 days after the exposure and communicate with us if you have any questions.
During the week before traveling to Wonderwell  We encourage you to consider taking extra precautions to reduce your risk of becoming infected with COVID or transmitting it to others. These precautions include wearing masks in indoor spaces outside your home, maintaining social distancing among persons you don’t live with, and avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated spaces. Please reschedule your visit if, within the 14 days prior to your visit:
  • You are ill, experiencing symptoms typical of COVID-19, and/or test positive for COVID-19
  • You have had a known exposure to COVID-19
  • You have traveled to a COVID-19 hotspot or traveled internationally.
Please, if you don’t feel well in the days before retreat, DO NOT come to Wonderwell. We will help make arrangements for you to attend online, whenever possible.  In case of known exposure or travel Please continue to monitor for symptoms for 14 days after the exposure and communicate with us if you have any questions.    We will not require that you reschedule after exposure or travel if you have tested negative on a PCR test taken 3 full days after exposure or return from travel, so long as you are not symptomatic.  

Double rooms (shared) are randomly assigned, so please be aware that if you sign up for a double room without designating a roommate, you will be sharing with someone you do not know. If you are not willing to make that agreement, please do not register for a shared room.  Note:  Men and women who don’t know each other will never be assigned to the same room.

Retreatants may always register for a shared double room with someone whom they know, as long as space is available. 

High-quality air purifiers are being in use in the meditation hall and dining areas.
Please bring your own pillow if possible.
MASK POLICY
Optional and Encouraged at Wonderwell
Update Jan 5, 2024
In recent weeks, there has been a substantial increase in respiratory illnesses across the Northeast U.S., including the region around the Wonderwell Mountain Refuge. In response to this change, we now strongly recommend mask wearing for everyone participating in onsite retreats at Wonderwell.
 
Please be mindful that an important reason for wearing masks at times when the risk of respiratory infections is high is to protect the health of others, particularly those with chronic health conditions.
 
We also continue to require that onsite retreat participants have a COVID-19 test within 24 hours of arrival and have a negative result.
 
Masks are strongly encouraged if you have respiratory symptoms or belong to a group that is at higher risk for COVID-19.
TESTING POLICY
Tests STILL needed to attend

Multi-day Events

A negative COVID-19 test result is required before admittance to the retreat for anyone attending a multi-day retreat. Please test 24 hours prior to your expected arrival at Wonderwell, using either a PCR test or a rapid (at-home) test kit.

Please bring a rapid test kit with you to Wonderwell. We will have a limited number of test kits available for during-retreat testing.

One-Day Events

For events such as Dharma Sunday, Thursday Meditation, or other one-day events where folks will not be sleeping over, we will not ask for a test to be done 24 hours prior to arrival.

The NDF Health Committee continues to monitor evolving public health conditions and trends, as we keep the safety of our Sangha at the forefront of our decision-making. Please continue to monitor this page for current requirements and further policy updates.