Health Protocols

Misson
Our first priority is to protect the health of everyone who comes to the Garchen Institute, including our monastic community, practitioners, staff, residents and teachers.  We are particularly careful about  H.E. Garchen Rinpoche’s health due to his advanced age.
The Garchen Institute welcomes people from within the U.S. and from around the world to participate in our retreats. Our intention is to include as many people as possible.

Safety Protocols
The following are the Institute’s fundamental required safety protocols:

• Negative COVID-19 Test: All retreat participants must agree to test for Covid upon arrival.  Individuals will not be admitted to the retreat if the test result is positive for Covid.
• Masks Required in the temple with Garchen Rinpoche: We are requiring the proper wearing of  masks in the temple only with Garchen Rinpoche and will supply you with an appropriate mask. Masks are not required in other indoor spaces or outside.
• Surface Cleaning: Sanitizing of all high touch areas will be conducted a minimum of twice daily and hand sanitizing stations will be placed in convenient locations across campus.
• Dining: We will offer both indoor & outdoor options for dining.
• Sick Policy: If a practitioner becomes sick, they will be asked to remain in their room, and if serious, return home. We will also ask them to take an antigen self-test onsite, and if they test positive for COVID-19, they must exit the retreat. Please note that if you are sharing a room or indoor camping, special arrangements will need to be made if a member of the group tests positive