Introduction Based upon what we learned in Fall 2020 and with the expectation of new opportunities to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 on campus, the Employee Guide to Being on Campus During COVID-19 has been updated for Intersession and Spring 2021. USD’s strategies to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 to our community were successful. These strategies included the mandated wearing of face coverings, moving the undergraduate academic calendar up so that it started earlier and ended before Thanksgiving, single person residential room occupancy, reducing the number of employees working on campus, remote learning for most classes, modified dining, enhanced cleaning and daily symptom and temperature checking, to name a few of the key strategies. Last Fall semester, with 1,500 students and employees on campus on a daily basis, there were fewer than 250 total confirmed COVID-19 cases for the entire semester; 188 of those cases were students living off campus and 8 cases were employees working remotely. Similarly, USD’s surveillance testing of students and employees and its testing of symptomatic students revealed a comparatively low rate of positive tests. The university employed two companies for surveillance testing over the Fall semester, Avellino and Rady Children’s Hospital. In addition, the Student Health Center (SHC) conducted symptomatic tests. Over the course of the Fall semester, 5,362 COVID-19 PCR tests were conducted through surveillance testing with only 29 positive cases as a result. The SHC conducted 326 tests with 32 positive results. This brings the total COVID-19 tests conducted by USD to 5,688 with a very low 1.09% positivity rate. We learned more about the transmission of the COVID-19 virus, in particular that airborne particles are the primary method of transmission, and not as much from contact with surfaces like desks, tables and countertops. We are also learning more about how long people need to be isolated or quarantined as well as how far apart they need to be when they are wearing face coverings. As our knowledge continues to increase, we will modify our protocols and practices accordingly.
The Employee Guide to Being on Campus During COVID-19 includes updates that reflect our increased knowledge. Significant updates are: • Required testing of employees who work on campus. • Use of the CA Notify app to improve contact tracing.
As a reminder, all employees working on campus must complete the Qualtrics daily email for symptoms before coming to campus and then proceed to campus temperature screening stations before they can enter any buildings on campus. Only those employees who have passed the symptom and temperature screening test and have received a wristband may enter campus buildings. If an employee cannot complete the email before arriving at campus, they can verbally complete the survey at the temperature screening stations.
Employee Guide to Being on Campus During COVID-19
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