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- Testing Protocols
- Protocol if an Employee, Contractor, or Volunteer Has Been Exposed to a Confirmed Case of COVID-19
- Protocol if an Employee, Contractor, or Volunteer has Symptoms of COVID-19
- Protocol if an Employee, Contractor, or Volunteer Has Positive Test for COVID-19
- Protocol for Employees, and/or Their Dependents, That Have a Higher Risk for Severe Illness from COVID-19
Campus COVID-19 Policies
The University has established new policies in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Face Covering Policy
- Update on Face Coverings (distributed August 13)
- Campus Events Policy
Protocol for Employees, Contractors, and Volunteers Returning to Campus
- Complete required SafeColleges training PRIOR to returning to campus properties.
- Contractors and Volunteers must contact hure-mail@wittenberg.com to request access to training.
- Wear a face covering – required for all employees, contractors, volunteers and visitors.
- Must wear face coverings whenever inside unless in private workspace alone and when outside whenever physical distancing is not possible. See full Mask Policy.
- Conduct daily health assessments by individual (self-evaluation) to determine if “fit for duty.”
- Be aware of COVID-19 symptoms.
- Check temperature prior to reporting for work.
- DO NOT report to work and notify supervisor if experiencing fever above 99.9F or other COVID-19 symptoms
- Maintain good hygiene at all times – hand washing, sanitizing, and physical distancing.
- Wash hands often.
- Cover coughs and sneezes.
- Clean and sanitize workplaces/workspaces throughout workday and at the close of business or between shifts where applicable.
- Practice physical distancing, in public areas, common work areas, restrooms, and during rest/meal breaks.
- Limit capacity to meet physical distancing guidelines.
- Establish maximum capacity in all areas.
- Use appointment setting where possible to limit congestion.
Protocol if an Employee, Contractor, or Volunteer Has Been Exposed to a Confirmed Case of COVID-19
- Stay home – self-quarantine for 14 days after the exposure.
- Monitor for COVID-19 symptoms.
- If no symptoms after 14-day quarantine, return to normal activities.
- If COVID-19 symptoms begin:
- Call your health care provider for guidance
- Contact your supervisor and human resources at hure-mail@wittenberg.edu to make them aware of your situation.
- Seek testing
- If test is negative, complete the 14-day quarantine then return to normal activities.
- If test is positive, follow PROTOCOL for positive tests.
- While waiting for test results
- Continue to self-quarantine.
- HR will call individual to gain additional details and maintain contact with individual until a negative test result is received and the 14-day quarantine has been exhausted or refer to PROTOCOL for a positive test.
- If a positive test:
- HR will notify COVID Response Team (CRT)
- HR will notify Clark County Combined Health District (CCCHD) for guidance if the individual resides in Clark County and/or has been on campus in past 14 days.
- HR will work with CCCHD and CRT to initiate contact tracing protocol if appropriate
- A public health worker will work with individual to fully implement contact tracing and to document ongoing condition
- All individuals identified as exposed may be asked to self-quarantine for 14 days and monitor COVID-19 symptoms
- CRT will initiate shutdown of impacted area AND cleaning and sanitizing protocol if appropriate
- CRT will contact University Communications to initiate appropriate communication to the campus community.
- Once individual has met applicable symptom-free benchmarks, they should obtain a release from their personal health care provider OR CCCHD to emerge from quarantine requirements.
Protocol if an Employee, Contractor, or Volunteer has Symptoms of COVID-19
- Stay home – self-quarantine.
- Call your health care provider for guidance
- Contact your supervisor and human resources at hure-mail@wittenberg.edu to make them aware of your situation.
- Seek testing
- If test is negative, return to normal activities.
- If test is positive, follow PROTOCOL for positive tests.
- While waiting for test results
- Continue to self-quarantine.
- Notify:
- Your supervisor AND
- Human resources at hure-mail@wittenberg.edu AND
- If after hours switchboard/dispatch at 937-327-6231
- Switchboard/Dispatch will record contact information including name, position at Wittenberg, and appropriate phone number(s)
- Switchboard/Dispatch will call human resources (HR) contact to inform.
- HR will call individual to gain additional details and maintain contact with individual until a negative test result is received or refer to PROTOCOL for a positive test.
- HR will notify Clark County Combined Health District (CCCHD) for guidance if the individual resides in Clark County and/or has been on campus in past 14 days.
- HR will work with CCCHD and CRT to initiate contact tracing protocol if appropriate
- A public health worker will work with individual to fully implement contact tracing and to document ongoing condition
- All individuals identified as exposed may be asked to self-quarantine for 14 days and monitor COVID-19 symptoms.
- CRT will initiate shutdown of impacted area AND cleaning and sanitizing protocol if appropriate
- CRT will contact University Communications to initiate appropriate communication to the campus community.
- Once individual has met applicable symptom-free benchmarks, they should obtain a release from their personal health care provider OR CCCHD to emerge from quarantine requirements.
Protocol if an Employee, Contractor, or Volunteer Has Positive Test for COVID-19
- Individual who tested positive for the COVID virus with symptoms will remain in isolation until:
- 3 days with no fever AND
- Symptoms are improved AND
- At least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared.
- Individual who tested positive and had no symptoms will remain in isolation until:
- 10 days have passed since the positive test and continues to have no symptoms.
- Immediately notify:
- Your supervisor AND
- Human resources at hure-mail@wittenberg.edu AND
- If after hours switchboard/dispatch at 937-327-6231
- Switchboard/Dispatch will record contact information including name, position at Wittenberg, and appropriate phone number(s)
- Switchboard/Dispatch will call human resources (HR) contact to inform.
- HR will notify Clark County Combined Health District (CCCHD) for guidance if the individual resides in Clark County and/or has been on campus in past 14 days.
- HR will work with CCCHD and CRT to initiate contact tracing protocol if appropriate
- A public health worker will work with individual to fully implement contact tracing and to document ongoing condition
- All individuals identified as exposed may be asked to self-quarantine for 14 days and monitor symptoms.
- CRT will initiate shutdown of impacted area AND cleaning and sanitizing protocol if appropriate
- CRT will contact University Communications to initiate appropriate communication to the campus community.
- Once individual has met applicable symptom-free benchmarks, they should obtain a release from their personal health care provider OR CCCHD to emerge from isolation requirements.
Protocol for Employees, and/or Their Dependents, That Have a Higher Risk for Severe Illness from COVID-19
- Employees, and/or their dependents, that may have a higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19 should follow the steps below to identify any need for further assessment and/or accommodation:
- Review the CDC information related to people who need to take extra precautions.
- Reach out to their personal health care provider to discuss risks associated to COVID-19 and any precautions needed.
- Read Appendix F: Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on pages 86-88 in the Staff Manual.
- Read Appendix A: Family and Medical Leave Policy (FMLA) on pages 75-81 in the Staff Manual.
- Employee wishing to request an accommodation related to their, and/or their dependents, disability or limitation as a result of COVID-19 must notify their supervisor AND human resources at hure-mail@wittenberg.edu of their need to begin the interactive process.
- Employee requesting an accommodation must be willing to participate in the interactive process of identifying a reasonable accommodation that will assist them in performing the essential functions of their job.
- Employee requesting an accommodation must be willing to participate in the FMLA process whenever applicable.
- ADA and FMLA policies may run concurrent depending upon the individual circumstances.
- Employee must complete the COVID-19 Pandemic ADA Accommodation Form and submit appropriate documentation related to their request.
Mass Testing Event Results (September 2020)
Wittenberg was approved to host a mass-testing event on Sept. 9. All testing was managed by the Ohio National Guard with Mako Medical analyzing the tests and providing the results. What we learned is as follows:
- There were 416 people tested, fewer than we hoped.
- Among those tested were 98 faculty and staff; there were no positives in that group.
- There were 318 students tested; there were 49 positives in this group, 11 of whom were contacts already identified.
- The positivity rate among the students tested was 15%, at the upper end of the range of 2-16% CCCHD said we could expect.
- No cases among faculty and staff, and no cases traced to classrooms, organized campus activities, or the dining hall all suggest that the risk-mitigation strategies we implemented in the places we can really control are working. We cannot eliminate the risk, but we seem to have reduced it.
- It seems our contact tracing is working well. We were able to anticipate the increase in cases and move to remote instruction to allow for a more equitable learning model.
- Contact tracing suggests our cases are arising among students in their living and social environments.