MODIFIED QUARANTINE GUIDE WINTER QUARTER 2021 Plans and expectations for making a safe return to campus in January College Place campus and Portland campus
Safe and strong, WWU.
Returning to campus for winter quarter during COVID-19 will require extra coordination and care by each Walla Walla University student, faculty, and staff member. This brochure provides information about what you as a student can expect and what will be expected of you during the first two weeks of winter quarter. Please read this information carefully. The nature of the pandemic means that circumstances may change based on information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the State of Washington, or due to changes in the nature of the pandemic in the Walla Walla Valley. Thank you for your understanding and flexibility.
What is the schedule for the first two weeks of winter quarter? Monday, Dec. 28—Begin completing the daily health screening using the SaferMe app. Friday, Jan. 1—Begin your quarantine at home. Monday, Jan. 4 • All students, faculty, and staff begin completing the daily health screening on the SaferMe app. • Classes begin online at home for the Portland campus. Tuesday, Jan. 5—Classes begin online at home for the College Place campus. Friday, Jan. 8, through Sunday, Jan. 10 • Move into your residence hall by appointment and begin modified quarantine on campus. For the Portland campus, no move-in appointments are available Saturday night. • Students will receive the first of two COVID-19 tests. Monday, Jan. 11—Begin attending all of your classes online from your residence hall room, Village Housing apartment, or other approved local housing. Beginning Monday, Jan. 18, and continuing into the quarter—Once you have been cleared by the COVID-19 response team after your second COVID-19 test and have received your I.D. card sticker for winter quarter, you will be okayed to begin attending your in-person classes as scheduled.
What is modified quarantine, and how long does it last? The modified quarantine will take place during the first two weeks of winter quarter. The first week of modified quarantine will be spent at your home; the second week will be spent in your residence hall room, Village Housing apartment, or in your other approved local housing. You will attend all classes online during these two weeks.
What is the difference between modified quarantine, quarantine, and isolation? Modified quarantine is a preemptive measure to limit potential exposure to and transmission of COVID-19 before and after you return to campus. Modified quarantine will take place during the first two weeks of the quarter—one week at home and one week on campus. Quarantine, if necessary, will be requested specifically by WWU COVID-19 Response Director Dr. Kari Firestone or her designee if you have been deemed to be a close contact of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. A close contact is defined as someone who is within 6 feet of an individual who has tested positive for COVID-19 for more than a cumulative of 15 minutes within a 24-hour period. Isolation will be requested specifically by WWU COVID-19 Response Director Dr. Kari Firestone or her designee if you test positive for COVID-19. If you are asked to go into quarantine or isolation after the modified quarantine you will receive more information about is expected of you.
What can I do or not do during the week of quarantine at home? During the week that you are in quarantine at home we ask that you stay at home as much as possible and limit your exposure to people outside your household. Don’t travel. Don’t have in-person social gatherings. Go to the grocery store only when necessary, and avoid in-person, nonessential shopping. Wear your mask and be sure to social distance when you are outside your house.
What can I do during the second week of modified quarantine on campus? How will I get food? Can I go to the grocery store? During the second week of modified quarantine, you can attend your classes online, study, eat, sleep, read, exercise outdoors with your roommate(s), or play games in your room. Avoid getting together in your room or outdoors with anyone other than your roommate(s). The cafeteria and The Express will be open only for takeout during the second week of modified quarantine. When you get takeout either from on or off campus or when you cook your own meals in your apartment, please either stay in or return to your living space and eat your meals only with your roommate(s). Dining services on the College Place campus will open on Sunday, Jan. 10, for supper. Your meal plan will begin on this day. Plan ahead to bring with you all the supplies you will need during the second week of modified quarantine. If you have an urgent need during this time, please order online and use the store’s curbside pick-up service.
Can I pick up my books from the bookstore when I get to campus or should I order them to be delivered to my home? We recommend that you order your books ahead and have them sent to your home so you can start your classes with your books. There may be delivery delays related to COVID-19, so order in advance when possible. If you must have your books held for you at the bookstore in College Place, please use the curbside pick-up option at the bookstore freight door on Third Street starting on Jan. 8. Please wait to receive email notification from the bookstore that your order is ready before attempting pickup. Also be sure to wear your mask and follow social-distancing protocols outside the pick-up area. For the Portland campus, professors are putting any necessary materials for week one on D2L. When do I need to start completing the SaferMe health screening? You must start completing the health screening on the SaferMe app beginning Monday, Jan. 4, and you must complete this health screening every day throughout the quarter. What happens if I don’t complete the daily health screening on SaferMe? You will get reminder emails each day if you don’t complete the daily health screening. If you continue to not submit the daily health screening, you will be contacted by the dean of students regarding inappropriate conduct issues. Do I need a health pass to access the dining hall during the second week? In order to access the campus dining hall during the second week of modified quarantine you will need to obtain a campus health pass at the Kellogg Hall screening station. This will be the only station open during that week. They will check that you have completed the SaferMe health screening and will confirm your temperature. They will not look for your Winter 2021 I.D. card sticker until week three. Starting week three, follow the procedure in the box below.
Daily health screenings will involve two steps: 1. Self-evaluation with the SaferMe app.
2. Campus check-in stations.
You will receive an email from SaferMe during the week of Dec. 28–31 with instructions for how to begin using the SaferMe app. You can start now by downloading the app from the app store to your electronic device. All WWU students, faculty, and staff will begin submitting their daily health screening using the app on Jan. 4.
In addition to the daily health screening on the SaferMe app, you will need to obtain a daily health pass from one of the screening stations on campus for each day that you will be on campus in person. For locations of the screening stations, visit wallawalla.edu/coronavirus and click on “Daily health screening.”
Do I have to schedule an appointment to move into my residence hall room or Village Housing apartment? How do I schedule an appointment? If you will be living in one of the residence halls or in WWU Village Housing, you must schedule an appointment to move in. If you haven’t already scheduled a move-in appointment, use the following guide to schedule now: • College Place residence halls—Visit abode.wallawalla.edu to schedule. • New students checking into Village Housing—Request an appointment to move into your apartment by sending an email to village@wallawalla.edu. • Students checking in or moving into Hansen Hall on the Portland campus— Watch for an email from Annette Riebe with arrival appointment scheduling instructions. If you have questions, contact Annette at (509) 527-2178 or annette.riebe@wallawalla.edu. How will I be able to attend classes on Friday, Jan. 8, if I have to move in or travel on that day? The Residential Life and Housing team will work with you to schedule an alternate move-in date and time if you can’t miss a class that is scheduled for Friday, Jan. 8. Please contact your residence hall dean or the Village Housing office at foreman@wallawalla.edu, sittner@wallawalla.edu, or village@wallawalla. edu to arrange for an alternate move-in time that works for your class schedule. Will I have to travel on Sabbath in order to move in at my scheduled time? Our Residential Life and Housing team is making accommodations for people who are traveling from a distance so they won’t have to travel on Sabbath. If you have an unavoidable conflict and must move into your residence hall room or Village Housing between sunset Friday night and sunset Saturday night, we can also make arrangements for you to get to your living space, but we ask that you wait until after sunset to set up your room or apartment. If you need accommodation for either situation, please contact your residence hall dean or the Village Housing office at foreman@wallawalla.edu, sittner@wallawalla.edu, or village@wallawalla.edu. Move-in times will not be available on the Portland campus on Saturday night.
Will faculty take into consideration that I may not be able to study on Sunday? Faculty are aware that it is an exceptional situation to have move-in times scheduled concurrently with classes. Please contact your professors in advance if your travel or move-in schedule will interfere with class attendance. Will I have to pay for my meal plan and residence-hall rent when I’m at home during the first week of modified quarantine? There will be no charge for the first week of the quarter for your cafeteria meal plan or your residence hall room; charges for the remainder of the quarter will be prorated. This applies to Hansen Hall on the Portland campus as well. Dining services on the College Place campus will open on Sunday, Jan. 10, for supper. Your meal plan will begin on this day. There will be no adjustments to charges for Village Housing or tuition.
What about I.D. card stickers? When will I get the sticker for my I.D. card that authorizes me to be on campus? You will be notified of your campus access approval status once your COVID-19 test(s) and/or quarantine/isolation period have been completed. Information about where to pick up your sticker will be provided at that time. The Portland campus will not require I.D. card stickers for approval to be on campus. Who gets a sticker? All students will receive a sticker once they have completed the modified quarantine and COVID-19 testing protocols unless they are both taking all online classes and do not live locally. The Portland campus will not require I.D. card stickers for approval to be on campus.
COVID-19 training, symptoms, and testing Will I be required to complete COVID-19 video training like we did for fall quarter? Yes, you will receive email notification by Monday, Jan. 4, with a link to new online video training related to COVID-19 that you will be required to complete. How do I report symptoms? Report any symptoms using the SaferMe app even if you have already submitted a health screening for the day. You do not have to decide if you have COVID-19; you just have to report any symptoms that are out of the ordinary for you and that cannot be attributed to another condition. What if I just don’t feel well but I haven’t had any interactions with someone who tested positive for COVID-19? Should I self-quarantine? Report your symptoms on the SaferMe app, and WWU COVID-19 Response Director Dr. Kari Firestone or her designee will communicate with you about what to do. If needed they will put you in quarantine. When will I get tested for COVID-19? Plan to have two tests for COVID-19 during the first several weeks of winter quarter unless you have received special instructions from WWU COVID-19 Response Director Dr. Kari Firestone that you should do differently. Watch your email for information about the times and locations of these tests. You may also be asked to have a COVID-19 test for routine surveillance at various times during the quarter. Other than these specific times, you will only need to be tested when requested to do so by Dr. Firestone or by another healthcare provider. Before getting any COVID-19 test, such as travel testing, be sure to contact Dr. Firestone at covid.response@wallawalla.edu.
What happens if I don’t follow the processes and requirements outlined in this booklet? You could face disciplinary proceedings under the Student Code of Conduct and the COVID-19 Code of Conduct.
Questions? Questions about COVID-19: Our web pages at wallawalla.edu/coronavirus may provide answers to many of your questions. This content is searchable using the green search box on the WWU website. If you don’t find what you’re looking for on these pages, you may submit a question using the Ask-a-Question button at wallawalla.edu/coronavirus.
Questions about housing: Foreman/Conard front desk (509) 527-2531 foreman@wallawalla.edu
Sittner front desk (509) 527-2111 sittner@wallawalla.edu
Village Housing (509) 527-2109 village@wallawalla.edu
Portland campus, Hansen Hall (509) 527-2178 annette.riebe@wallawalla.edu