DIAGNOSIS AND RESPONSE

The information below addresses COVID-19 testing, medical resources, quarantine situations, and response plans in the event of COVID-19 cases or an outbreak on campus.

Testing If an individual is showing symptoms or is concerned based on exposure to COVID-19, they should seek testing. Procedures will be implemented to assist our community members with gaining access to testing as requested. The Hennepin Healthcare facility at 900 S. 8th Street is across the street from North Central University and offers testing for COVID-19 on both an appointment and walk-up basis. If you cannot afford a test, contact NCU at covid19@northcentral.edu for confidential financial assistance.

Medical resources North Central University’s proximity to the Hennepin Healthcare Clinic and Specialty Center, 715 S. 8th Street in Minneapolis, just one block from campus, provides ready access to a world-class medical facility. NCU has spoken with Hennepin Healthcare administration and confirmed the clinic is available to serve NCU community members on a walk-in, appointment, or urgent care basis.

Positive COVID-19 results While we are working hard to promote a healthy and safe campus environment, North Central University is also prepared to care for the needs of students who may have been exposed to, or who test positive for, COVID-19. The plans below will serve as guides as we seek to meet individual health needs and protect the safety of the campus community; due to a variety of variables, each situation will be assessed individually and handled accordingly.

Terminology Quarantine - Quarantine is used to keep someone who might have been exposed to COVID-19

away from others. Quarantine helps prevent spread of disease that can occur before a person knows they are sick or if they are infected with the virus without feeling symptoms. People in quarantine should stay home, separate themselves from others, monitor their health and temperature, and follow directions from their healthcare provider.

Isolation - is used to separate people presumed infected with the virus (those who have tested positive and those exhibiting multiple symptoms) from people who are not infected. People who are in isolation should stay home or in the designated campus isolation area until it’s safe for them to be around others.

Symptomatic residential students When a residential student presents with symptoms of COVID-19 or if campus or medical personnel determine a student is exhibiting significant COVID-19 symptoms, there are steps to take to activate the COVID Care Response Protocols. First, the student will complete the STUDENT COVID-19 form to provide critical information related to his/her activity on campus and to create a list of close contacts. The form also gives permission for designated NCU personnel to make appropriate contacts, and the following steps will be taken for the student’s care:

Residence Life is notified and an appropriate isolation housing assignment on campus will be made for the student. Residence Life will coordinate the student’s arrival at isolation housing and arrange for getting belongings to the student.

Dining Services is notified and the student’s dining plan for meals is established and coordinated with Residence Life.

The Office of Student Development will notify the student’s professors, coaches, supervisors, RA, and RD so care and coordination of the student’s coursework and other activities may be supported.

Students may only be cleared to return to campus life and their residence by a physician or other qualified healthcare provider. This can happen either because the student’s COVID-19 test returns negative, or the patient is no longer symptomatic and no longer contagious. In order to be considered no longer symptomatic and no longer contagious, the student will need to complete 10 days of quarantine or isolation and had at least 24 hours with no symptoms and no feverreducing medications.

Undergraduate quarantine and isolation housing Phillipps Hall 1 West residence hall rooms have been reserved for separate men’s and women’s on-campus isolation housing. These facilities have separated entrances from other living spaces and accidental access can be precluded by blocking card access or locked doors. Each person in an isolation area will be designated a room with access to a semi-private bathroom.

Students who know or suspect they have been exposed to COVID-19 are expected to selfquarantine in their campus residence for 10 days following the exposure. If symptoms develop or

the student tests positive, they will be moved to isolation.

Isolation housing is prioritized for students who do not have access to their family home or a safe residence. Local students are encouraged to self-isolate at home and may also self-quarantine at home if exposure is suspected. The COVID-19 Response Team will assist students who self-isolate or self-quarantine, either on campus or at their homes, with academic accommodations.

Outbreaks In the event of an outbreak, North Central University personnel will work closely with the Minnesota Department of Health to activate a plan for containment, contact tracing, and communication.

Communicating about COVID-19 cases Individuals who are known to have been in contact at North Central University with an individual who tests positive for COVID-19 will be contacted by the COVID-19 Response Team, and an action plan will be identified.

For necessary communication with the greater NCU community, North Central University will implement a combination of the communication tools below to keep its campus constituents— including current undergraduate and graduate students, PSEO students, current parents, employees, prospective students/parents, and the appropriate government/health authorities— informed about its campus reopening strategies, related COVID-19 health and safety measures, and COVID-19 positive cases:

Returning to Campus web pages [URL]

Skyline (current students, employees)

Campus mass email system (current students, employees)

NCU’s social media platforms

Moodle Learning Management System

Campus digital signage (VCS)

Emergency Notification System (ENS)

Timely updates In addition to communicating NCU’s initial reopening plans and related protocols, the university will use the above methods to continue to update stakeholders about breaking developments, news, and changes in a timely and transparent manner.

Clery Act Compliance In compliance with The Clery Act, and guidance from the U.S. Department of Education regarding Clery’s intersection with COVID-19, North Central University will issue a campus Emergency

Notification System (ENS) message to students and employees at the start of the academic year informing them about the following:

COVID-19 and necessary health and safety precautions

Where to obtain ongoing information about the number of on-campus COVID cases

How to connect to the resources of regional health authorities and the CDC.

The university will also provide a banner on northcentral.edu that will provide this information to the broader campus community and external constituents.