COVID-19 Institutions of Higher Education (IHE)

This guide seeks to provide information to help institutions of higher education (IHEs) through the re-opening of on-campus services during the advancing phases of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the primary goals of protecting public health, supporting the safety and well-being of staff, faculty, and students, and continuing the institution’s educational mission.

Background:

• The situation will remain dynamic with a consideration of local case counts, state phase, and regulatory guidelines.
• In current times, there is no ability to guarantee safety, but strategies exist to prevent spread, isolate cases, and mitigate risks.
• Virtual education will continue to be a needed part of re-opening and limiting gathering size.
• People at high-risk of adverse consequences from COVID infection and people needing to isolate and quarantine should have virtual participation options.
• IHE’s will need to follow the Governor’s orders in re-opening plans.
• IHE’s will implement and expand on policies and practices that promote employees and learners staying home if they become sick.

Content Reviewed and Updated: Jan. 21, 2021

CDC Guidance:

 American College Health Association (ACHA)

NCDHHS:

• Implement strategies to maintain social (physical) distance.
  • Create study and work areas to promote physical distancing.
  • Mark six (6) feet of spacing in lines at high-traffic areas. 
  • Use signs, tape marks, or other visual cues such as decals or colored tape on the floor, placed 6 feet apart, to indicate where to stand when physical barriers are not possible.
  • Consider creative ways to demonstrate the safe distance around campus, especially in indoor areas likely to become crowded. 
    • Chloé Hennen. Creative Ways of Social Distancing From Around the World. 7x7. May 21, 2020 
  • Minimize traffic in enclosed spaces, such as stairwells and elevators.
• Evaluate air flow in facilities to ensure current systems are in proper working order.
  • Consider installing high-efficiency air filters.
  • Increase ventilation rates in living, study and work environments.
  • Breathing Room: HVAC Solutions and Resources for COVID Risk Mitigation (requires setting up a free account)
• Consider removing desks and chairs to ensure recommended physical distancing and flow of traffic.
• Consider adding physical barriers to areas requiring frequent close personal contact where feasible.
• Establish cash free payment systems as much as possible. 
• Identify high-touch areas and investigate options to implement no/reduced touch options, such as door removal, card access, foot- operated door pedals.
• Follow recommended guidelines for cleaning and disinfection practices.
  • CDC: Cleaning and Disinfecting Your Facility: Everyday Steps, Steps When Someone is Sick, and Considerations for Employers
  • CDC:  Guidance for Cleaning and Disinfecting Public Spaces, Workplaces, Businesses, Schools, and Homes
• Post signage around campus about social distancing (staying at least six (6) feet away from others) and maximum occupancy limits.
  • NCDHHS: Know Your Ws: Wear, Wait, Wash
  • CDC COVID-19 Print Resources
• Follow food service best practices to prevent spread of COVID.
  • FDA: Best Practices for Re-Opening Retail Food Establishments During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Food Safety Checklist
• Install take out/drive through windows for customer services where appropriate.
• Consider disabling water fountains for sipping while maintaining water bottle filling.
• Establish a plan for isolation and quarantine space for students living in congregate settings.
• Consider adding negative pressure ventilation systems for areas where individuals with active COVID-19 disease will receive care.

Staff and Faculty

• Conduct symptom checking and temperature checking in accordance with NC directives for employees. 
  • NCDHHS: Interim General Guidance for Businesses and Organizations
• Encourage all employees to follow all best practices outlined above in the Education and Best Practices section including wearing a cloth face covering when they may be near (less than 6 feet from) other people.
• Encourage self-quarantine or limited exposure to others for faculty and staff with exposure to someone with COVID-19 or entering from high prevalence areas or with known exposure. 
• For any faculty or staff with symptoms or a positive test ensure easy and quick access to testing and instruct anyone with symptoms to isolate until test results are available and guidelines met to discontinue isolation.
  • CDC:  Isolate if You Are Sick: Separate yourself from others if you have COVID-19
  • CDC: Discontinuation of Isolation for Persons with COVID -19 Not in Healthcare Settings

Students

• Complete check-in process virtually in advance to the degree possible.
• Include education in advance of arrival.
• Add face covering and hand sanitizer to the list of student supplies to bring to campus.
• Consider offering cloth face coverings (with school emblem) to students.
• Consider any special needs or accommodations.
• Stagger arrival times to prevent crowding.
• Ensure intake procedures allow for physical distancing.
• Enable and promote frequent use of hand washing and hand sanitizer (have sanitizer readily available). 
• Conduct history and symptom checking and temperature screening for all students upon arrival to the campus.
• Include education (as outlined above) in orientation activities. 

Screening asks questions about symptoms and exposure and may involve checking for physical changes that may indicate infection. Screening should be used on a regular basis.

• CDC Testing, Screening, and Outbreak Response for Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs)
• Screening questions may be asked by staff or completed through an on-line tool.
• On-line symptom checkers:
  • CDC: COVID‑19 self-assessment
  • ​NCDHHS: Check My Symptoms
• Temperature elevation may indicate infection in someone with no other symptoms. Have anyone with a temperature > 100.4 put on a mask, self-isolate away from others and call a medical provider.

Testing strategy is rapidly changing and available tests and test types change frequently. 

• NCDHHS: Find My Testing Place
• Molecular (PCR) tests represent if the person has a current COVID infection for the point of time when the sample was collected. These tests are most helpful for case finding and containment strategy but may not identify all cases in a community. 
• Serologic testing (antibody tests) can show history of infection but may have false positive and false negative results. These tests are most helpful for general population prevalence evaluation.
• Both testing strategies have limitations based on test performance characteristics and sample collection. Testing is one tool in the toolbox of preventing the spread of COVID in a community. 

Quarantine: If you have might have been exposed.  

Isolation:  If you are sick.  

• CDC:  Isolate if You Are Sick: Separate yourself from others if you have COVID-19
• CDC: Discontinuation of Isolation for Persons with COVID -19 Not in Healthcare Settings

• Immediately mask any sick student, faculty or staff member.  
• Arrange for medical assessment for any student, faculty or staff with symptoms with rapid access to testing if appropriate.
• If a student is diagnosed with COVID-19 or is presumed positive by a medical professional due to symptoms, the student should be isolated away from others.
• Work with identified local Health Departments and clinical agencies to develop a plan to evaluate, isolate, and contact trace suspected cases.
• Establish means for regular checks and support for anyone in isolation or quarantine to monitor health and maintain connection.
• Students, faculty or staff with COVID should remain in isolation until guidelines to discontinue isolation are met.
• CDC: Public Health Guidance for Community-Related Exposure

• Conduct symptom screening of students, faculty and staff in accordance with state guidance at minimum (current daily).
• Student temperature check-points at strategic locations on campus and in dormitories. 
  • Establish a strategy to document and ideally show a visible sign that the individual has been screened that day.
  • Consider the use of new technology to connect entrance into facilities with negative symptom and temperature screening results.

• Basic wellness practices – encourage outdoor exercise and gatherings within recommended limits.
  • Address the short and long term impact of COVID-19 on mental health and wellbeing.
  • Consider training students, faculty and staff on resilience - regional partners who can support this work
    • Resources for Resilience 
    • UMOJA Health, Wellness and Justice Collective 
• Address safety in intimate partner relationships.
  • Sexuality
    • American Sexual Health Association:  Sex and COVID-19
    • Fenway Health: COVID-19 and sexual health
    • Mayo Clinic: Sex and coronavirus: Can you get COVID-19 from sexual activity?
    • Planned Parenthood: COVID-19 and Your Sexual Health
    • Yale University:  Safer Sex During COVID-19
    • Avert:  Sex and Coronavirus (for people living with HIV)
  • Intimate Partner Violence
    • Skidmore College: Staying Safe in Intimate Relationships During COVID-19
    • WHO: COVID-19 and violence against women
  • Relationship Health
    • Johns Hopkins Medicine: How to Keep Your Relationship Healthy During the Coronavirus Pandemic
    • UNLV: Love Under Lockdown: How Couples Can Cope During COVID-19

• Provide general education on COVID-19.
  • CDC COVID-19 Communication Resources
  • NCDHHS COVID-19 Materials & Resources
• Provide training for employees and students about hand hygiene, physical distancing, and cough/sneeze etiquette.
  • CDC: How to Protect Yourself & Others
• Provide guidance to employees and students on use, wearing, and removal of cloth face coverings.
  • CDC: Use Masks to Slow the Spread of COVID-19
  • CDC: How to Safely Wear and Take Off a Cloth Face Covering (PDF Flyer)
• Provide education and resources for wellness and well-being. 
• • NCDHHS: Wellness Resources
  • CDC: Stress and Coping
• Consider adopting a pledge or commitment statement to reinforce these practices.
  • Asheville Cares: The Stay Safe Pledge Toolkit
  • Count on Me NC
• Consider creating closed circuits groups with a certain number of individuals – who do not need to maintain distance restrictions within their group but must adhere to all prevention strategies when interacting with anyone outside their group.
  • Group members must all go into quarantine if one member of group develops COVID

• Consider the unique needs of individuals at high-risk for severe disease and potential death from COVID-19.
• Allow students, faculty and employees to self-identify as high-risk and implement accommodations to minimize their contact with other students, faculty, and staff such as virtual learning, virtual work, single room, more spacing.
• Develop a list of resources and partnerships with local and regional agencies to support students, faculty and employees impacted negatively by accommodations made to minimize their contact, e.g., financial, economic, vocational, behavioral health, etc.

• NCAA Sports Science Institute Resocialization of Collegiate Sport: Action Plan Considerations
• CDC Considerations for Youth Sports
• NCDHHS Interim Guidance for Administrators and Participants of Youth and Amateur Sports Programs

• Identify a COVID health leader to ensure all faculty, staff and students are up-to-date on latest guidelines.
• Stay in touch with the local health department and emergency management office.
• Provide a transparent regular communication with COVID-19 updates to parents, students and staff.
• Think about Health Information Privacy
  • HHS: HIPAA and COVID-19 

WNC Colleges and Universities

WNC Community Colleges

Universities Outside the MAHEC Region

Resources that have been reviewed in pulling together the above guidance.

IHE Specific Guidance:

Business Specific Guidance: