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Appendix G Protocol on Responding to COVID 19 Positive or Presumed Positive Employee
The Danforth Campus Protocol on Responding to COVID-19 Positive or Presumed Positive Employee(s)
Updated July 14, 2020
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Purpose
To establish a protocol for a situation in which the university is notified that one of its employees on the Danforth, North, West and Tyson Campuses (collectively “Danforth Campus”) has tested positive or is presumed positive for COVID-19. This protocol is intended to help ensure an effective response by Washington University to (i) support the employee and members of our community and (ii) minimize the spread of COVID-19 on campus and in our community.
Assumptions
There are resources in place to support Occupational Health Services who are responsible for notification and response outlined in this protocol. Communications in general for response will be relayed as soon as reasonably possible. The Occupational Health Services will notify or confirm that the St. Louis City or County Health Departments have been notified by the lab responsible for testing, and the university will follow their guidance and directives in responding, including any directives to close certain buildings or to contact certain employees or other individuals who may have been in close contact with the employee who has been reported ill. The employee has been diagnosed by a medical professional as positive or is otherwise presumed positive for COVID-19 and that employee or someone on their behalf has then notified a university manager or an Occupational Health Services professional. Certain actions outlined in this protocol may also be appropriate in responding to an employee who failed their daily self-screen. The Danforth Campus is open in some capacity and accessible to faculty, staff and graduate students returning from alternate operations and working from home. If the campus returns to strict alternate operations where only essential employees are on campus, some of these action items may be unnecessary.
This protocol may change when the Danforth Campus is more fully operational.
Immediate Actions
1. If the employee has not already done so, Danforth supervisors should have the employee contact Occupational Health immediately after receiving the following notifications from an employee: a. Failed self-screen
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6. b.
Positive or presumed-positive COVID-19 diagnosis Once made aware of a confirmed or presumed positive employee, Occupational Health will n otify the following: a. Immediate supervisor of employee if the information did not come from the supervisor
b. Executive Director of Habif Health and Wellness Center if a student is involved in any way
c. Director of Facilities Planning & Management to initiate any cleaning and disinfection
d.
protocols. If appropriate, the Office of Insurance and Risk Management to initiate the worker’s compensation process Occupational Health will contact or confirm contact with the appropriate health department, initiate any required contact tracing and determine next steps. The supervisor should send the employee home immediately if the employee is at work. If the employee is unable to go home immediately, isolate them in an office location that does not exp ose other employees or community members. a. Provide the employee an isolation mask to use when leaving campus. b. The employee should avoid using public transportation to return home. The person
c. picking the employee up from campus should also be advised to wear a mask. Close the office door and do not allow anyone into the office until it is cleaned and disinfected pursuant to Facilities Planning & Management Policies.
d.
If advised by Occupational Health, work with Facilities to determine other office o r c ampus spaces that need to be cleaned and disinfected. Aside from initially notifying Occupational Health, the supervisor should not share information about the health of any specific employee. Notification including follow-up on contact tracing w ill come directly from the health department or Occupational Health. Occupational Health will also provide information to the supervisor if further communication with or instructions to other employees is necessary (e.g., sending employees home, restricting certain office space, etc.). Communications from the supervisor to other employees regarding a potential unnamed COVID-positive employee should follow the Communications Protocol. Occupational Health will provide stay at home expectations and information on next steps, including monitoring of symptoms and isolation at home, cleaning and disinfection guidance, and the protocol to receive clearance to return to work.
Return to Work Criteria and Clearance
Before returning to work on campus, the employee will be instructed to contact and receive clearance to return from Occupational Health, 314-362-3528. Occupational Health will notify the supervisor if an
employee has been cleared to return to campus.
Employees will be required to meet the CDC criteria below or the local health department criteria, whichever is more restrictive, before being cleared to return. If the employee is the subject of a local Department of Health order, Occ Health must receive a
written release from the local Department of Health releasing the university from the order and clearing the employee to return.
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4. At least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared ; AND,
At least 3 days (72 hours) have passed since recovery; defined as resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications AND
Improvement in respiratory symptoms (e.g., cough, shortness of breath)
** If employees without symptoms were tested and found to have laboratory-confirmed COVID19, they may discontinue home isolation and return to work when at least 10 days have passed since the date of their first positive COVID-19 diagnostic test if they have experienced no subsequent illness or symptoms within those 10 days.
Occupational Health Contact Tracing and Notification of Co-workers or other WashU persons in Close Contact with Employee
1. Occupational Health, in coordination with local health department, will gather the following information,
a. b. c. d. e. f. g. What are the employee’s symptoms? When did the employee begin experiencing symptoms? Where has the employee been on campus? With whom has the employee been in close contact? Has the COVID-19 diagnosis been positively confirmed? Has the employee sought medical treatment or consulted with their physician? What phone numbers or other contact information (i.e., physical addresses) may be needed?
2. Occupational Health, in coordination with the local health department, will confirm which entity (local health department or WashU) will conduct contact tracing and, if necessary, Occupational Health will notify those individuals they have identified as having close contact with the employee while the employee was on campus.
3. All communications should include referral to medical and mental health resources available to employees.
Cleaning and Disinfecting of Area
Occupational Health will determine locations that will need cleaning and disinfection, and notify Facilities at (314) 935-5544 to have those locations cleaned and disinfected.
The Office of Public Affairs in coordination with Medical Public Affairs and Office of General Counsel will determine if any messaging is needed and what information should be communicated to members of the University community and, if appropriate, to the news media.
In any messaging to other members of the community, it is critical to maintain confidentiality of the student or staff member as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act, as applicable. These messages must follow communications protocol and be coordinated with and approved by Public Affairs and General Counsel prior to being sent.
Contractors
Contract service providers (e.g., Bon Appetit, Flik, WFF, Focal Pointe, etc.) are expected to notify their university liaison or point of contact if one of their employees fails the Danforth Campus daily selfscreen, tests positive or is presumed positive for COVID. All contract workers are expected to stay home and are not permitted to be present on campus until receiving clearance to return from Occupational Health.
Follow Up Actions
After the immediate actions taken above, Occupational Health will identify others to assist in appropriate follow-up. It is important that leadership be kept informed of the status of all actions being taken.
APPENDIX: SEE ATTACHED.
APPENDIX
A. COVID-19 Positive Employee Protocol Checklist
Task
Contact employee’s immediate supervisor.
Contact the Executive Director of Habif Health and Wellness Center if a student is involved in any way.
Call the local Health Department, if not already done.
Conduct contact tracing in coordination with public health department.
Send employee home immediately if the employee is at work. Instruct employee to close office door and not allow anyone into the office space until it is cleaned. Provide isolation mask to use when leaving campus if the supervisor does not already have one available.
Gather information from employee to determine last date on campus, symptoms, date of onset of symptoms, offices and buildings in which employee visited while experiencing symptoms or 48 hours prior to experiencing symptoms, and provide resources.
Contact Card Access at 935-7703 or cardaccess@wustl.edu and Facilities to gather and relay office and building information for purposes of initiating cleaning and disinfection and assisting the employee in identifying their possible contacts.
Provide employee with stay at home expectations and information on next steps, including monitoring symptoms and isolation at home, cleaning and disinfection guidance, and return to work protocols (see COVID-19 Positive Employee Notification and Instructions)
Determine whether office spaces or buildings should be temporarily closed and locked down for safety reasons, in consultation with the Dean/Unit Director, Facilities, and the local Health Department.
Notify Insurance and Risk Management in the event Worker’s Compensation protocols should be initiated.
Facilities Checklist
Task
Determine whether office spaces or buildings should be temporarily closed and locked down for safety reasons, in consultation with the Dean/Unit Director, Occupational Health, and the local Health Department.
Determine areas in need of cleaning and disinfection, in consultation with Occupational Health, and initiate cleaning and disinfection protocol
If Occ Health determines disinfection is necessary, determine if an outside cleaning contractor or WFF is needed for cleaning and disinfecting
Notify Dean/Unit Director when cleaning and disinfection is complete and re-entry is allowed.
Have local HVAC units cleaned and returned to service.
Pr ovost/School Dean/Unit Director Checklist
Task
Send employee immediately home if experiencing symptoms. If employee is unable to go home for any reason other than a medical emergency, isolate them in an enclosed office until they are able to obtain transportation home. Contact Occupational Health immediately.
If employee is on campus and in office, provide isolation mask to employee. Tell employee to wear isolation mask while on campus.
Refer employee by phone and email to Occupational Health line.
Determine whether other office space needs to be secured and cleaned in consultation with Occupational Health and Facilities.
In consultation with Occupational Health and Facilities, determine whether to send other employees home if they may have come into close contact (less than 6ft) with positive employee.
If you are considering emailing a message of care and concern to alleviate anxieties, outline cleaning and disinfection protocol and office restrictions, and reiterate hygiene and social distancing expectations, you must follow communications protocol and coordinate with Public Affairs and General Counsel prior to sending communication.
Card Services Checklist
Task
Run card access report to determine which buildings employee may have entered
Email report to Occupational Health
