Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resources

Being fully vaccinated is one of the best ways to get the most out of your campus experience. Vaccines protect you and others against COVID-19.

COVID-19 vaccines are widely available in the United States to anyone 6 months and older. The vaccines are free. If you have any questions about the vaccines or how to get them, reach out to your healthcare provider, seek information from trusted and credible sources, talk to others who have already been fully vaccinated, make the choice that best protects yourself and others, and get vaccinated.

The Utah Department of Health has information on:

• Where you can get vaccinated in Utah
• The safety and effectiveness of vaccines

The CDC recommends that anyone aged 12 and older who is 5 months past their primary vaccine series or 2 months past their initial Johnson & Johnson vaccine receive a booster shot to stay up-to-date on their COVID-19 vaccination.

Steps for washing your hands thoroughly:

1. Wet your hands.
2. Lather your entire hands.
3. Scrub between your fingers and under your fingernails.
4. Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds.
5. Rinse and dry your hands.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.

Handwashing is especially important after using the restroom, before eating, and after blowing your nose, sneezing, or coughing.

Supervisors should make sure their office is stocked with facial tissue and hand sanitizer, and ensure that there is easy access to hand-washing facilities.

Avoid Touching Others’ Hands

Keep your hands to yourself. Avoid touching others’ hands (e.g., high-fives, handshakes). Avoid contact with people who are sick.

Alternative greetings:

• Wave
• Vulcan salute
• Peace sign
• "I love you" sign

Masks are optional in most shared indoor spaces on campus. Westminster College is continually monitoring CDC guidance and COVID-19 transmission data, and will communicate with the campus community when circumstances require a change in policy.

If you have any concerns about individual behavior, submit them through the COVID-19 comments, questions, and incident reporting form. Check the area you're in for signs that outline face covering requirements. Please keep your face covering with you everywhere on campus so you are prepared to wear it when required.

Wear your face covering when you:

• Are in Student Health Services for any reason

• Are in the Counseling Center for any reason

• Are within 10 days of a known exposure to someone who tested positive for COVID-19

• Are within 10 days of having tested positive for COVID-19

• Are experiencing any symptoms of illness, even if you have tested negative for COVID-19

Cloth face coverings should not be placed on children younger than 2 years of age or on anyone who has trouble breathing or is unconscious, incapacitated, or otherwise unable to remove the cover without assistance.

Proper Face Covering Materials and Fit

A high-quality face covering, such as an N95 or KN95 respirator, will offer you the most individual protection. Ensure that you have a good fit and that it covers your nose and mouth. Discard and use a new one if it becomes visibly dirty or is damaged in some way.

A reusable cloth face covering must be made of double-layered fabric and completely cover both nose and mouth. Medical masks are also acceptable. Face coverings with exhalation valves or made of fleece or knit material are not acceptable.

Reusable cloth face coverings should be washed between each day of use or when they become visibly dirty. Disposable face coverings cannot be effectively cleaned for re-use. Discard and use a new one if it becomes visibly dirty or is damaged in some way.

Face coverings should fit snugly against your face and cover your nose and mouth at all times. Your face covering should be fitted above the nose and below the mouth.

Communication While Wearing a Face Covering

Face coverings can sometimes make it difficult to communicate, especially for people who have disabilities that impact speech or hearing. To effectively communicate while protecting yourself and others from coronavirus, you can plan to communicate through a video or phone call, or through written communication like email, text, or chat. If you’re trying to communicate during an in-person interaction, you can write your conversation on a notepad using individual pens or type your conversation out on your phones.

You may also want to consider using a clear face shield or face mask to make it easier to see facial expressions and read lips, however, face shields may only be used in addition to face coverings, not instead of them. Disability Services can provide face coverings with clear mouth portions that can be used to assist people who lip read. Disability Services has a limited number of lapel microphones/amplification devices for faculty to utilize if their voice is muffled or hindered while wearing a mask.

Face Coverings and Inclusivity

We recognize the inherent challenges of wearing a face covering for certain members of our community. Please watch this important message from our Chief Diversity Officer, Dr. Tamara Stevenson. She explains how wearing a mask demonstrates our shared commitment to an inclusive Westminster community.

What to Do When Someone is Not Wearing a Face Covering When Required

Face coverings are optional in most indoor settings on campus. However, if there is a situation where an individual is not wearing a face covering when they are required to, directly ask the individual to put on their face covering. If they refuse to comply, you may ask them to leave. If they refuse to leave, contact Campus Patrol at 801.832.2525. You can also report concerns using the COVID-19 incident reporting form. Staff and faculty do not have the authority to grant exceptions to face covering requirements.

Disposable Mask Recycling

Drop off your used disposable masks in a recycling bin in Meldrum, Shaw, or HWAC.

Before coming to campus or leaving your residence hall, everyone, including contractors and visitors, must check themselves for symptoms. You can check your symptoms every day using the Utah Healthy Together App or the CDC symptom checker, or by going through the list of symptoms below and self-assessing. Do not come to campus if you are sick or if you are advised to get tested. The app or symptom checker will advise if you should be tested for COVID-19, stay home, or take any other actions.

If you are not sick and must come to campus for classes or other obligations, follow all the guidelines for being on campus.

Check yourself for the following COVID-19 symptoms:

• Cough
• Shortness of breath
• Fever (temperature over 100.3º F without the use of fever-reducing medication)
• Chills
• Repeated shaking with chills
• Muscle pain
• Headache
• Sore throat
• New loss of taste or smell

Do not come to campus if:

• You're experiencing COVID-19 symptoms
• You feel sick
• You have been asked to self-isolate by a medical professional or local public health official

The restriction on close contact does not apply to health professionals who have provided healthcare with appropriate personal protective equipment.

Students and employees can be tested for COVID-19 for free at Student Health Services. If you are experiencing symptoms of illness or have a known exposure to someone who tested positive for COVID-19, you must call Student Health Services at 801.832.2239 to schedule an appointment and talk to a nurse practitioner before your testing appointment. Fill out your testing intake forms before your appointment.

If you're sick, stay home and avoid close contact with others. Call your health provider before arriving for medical care.

• Avoid contact with people who are sick.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or sleeve when coughing and sneezing.

If you're sick or experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, follow these CDC guidelines:

• COVID-19: What to Do if You Are Sick
• Flu: Stay Home When You Are Sick

Students and employees can be tested for COVID-19 for free at Student Health Services. If you are experiencing symptoms of illness or have a known exposure to someone who tested positive for COVID-19, you must call Student Health Services at 801.832.2239 to schedule an appointment and talk to a nurse practitioner before your testing appointment. Fill out your testing intake forms before your appointment.

All students and employees must report any instance of exposure or diagnosis to the college.

Exposure

Exposure includes, but may not be limited to:

• Attendance at large events where confirmed cases were reported
• Notification of exposure by the college or local health department, or through personal communication
• Exposure to family or household members diagnosed with COVID-19

Procedures for Students

For contact tracing to be initiated and effective on campus, you must follow procedures based on your individual situation.

If You Are Feeling Symptom(s) of Illness

1. Do not come to campus/attend classes.
2. Call Student Health Services at 801.832.2239.
3. Make an appointment to get tested if advised to do so.
4. Follow medical and health advice.

If You Were Told You Were or Think You Were in Close Contact with a COVID-19-Positive Individual

1. Report your exposure to the college
2. Start taking precautions immediately:
   1. Wear a high-quality mask in shared indoor spaces for 10 days after your exposure (your exposure date is Day 0), including around members of your household.
   2. Monitor yourself for symptoms. If you start to feel symptoms consistent with COVID-19, stay home and seek testing.
   3. Get tested for COVID-19 on Day 5 or later. If you test negative, continue to wear a mask until after Day 10. If you test positive, please report your diagnosis and stay home for the recommended isolation period.

Special Instructions for Nursing Students

Students enrolled in the MS-Nursing Anesthesia or MS-Family Nurse Practitioner programs should follow the CDC exposure guidance for healthcare professionals. Students should indicate their enrollment in these programs if they need to submit a report of exposure or diagnosis.

Procedures for Faculty and Staff

For contact tracing to be initiated and effective on campus, you must follow procedures based on your individual situation.

If You Are Feeling Symptom(s) of Illness

1. Do not come to campus/attend classes.
2. Call your health care provider.
3. Make an appointment to get tested if advised to do so.
4. Follow medical and health advice.

If You Were Told You Were or Think You Were in Close Contact with a COVID-19-Positive Individual

1. Report your exposure to the college.
2. Start taking precautions immediately:
   1. Wear a high-quality mask in shared indoor spaces for 10 days after your exposure (your exposure date is Day 0), including around members of your household.
   2. Monitor yourself for symptoms. If you start to feel symptoms consistent with COVID-19, stay home and seek testing.
   3. Get tested for COVID-19 on Day 5 or later. If you test negative, continue to wear a mask until after Day 10. If you test positive, please report your diagnosis and stay home for the recommended isolation period.

If You Test Positive for COVID-19

1. Do not come to campus/attend classes.
2. Report your diagnosis to the college.
3. Isolate for at least 5 days and follow medical and health advice.

Find Salt Lake County COVID-19 testing locations.

Regularly clean and disinfect shared work areas, including desks, tables, phones, computers, keyboards, and computer mice. Cleaning supplies will be distributed for use in classrooms and public-facing offices. A centralized ordering system for bottle refills and other supplies is being implemented for areas that need frequent re-supply of materials. Classroom cleaning kits will continue to be available for faculty who want to participate in more frequent cleaning. People using specialized equipment should disinfect the equipment they handle before and after use. More extensive protocols are in place for higher risk activities, such as using the locker rooms in HWAC.

To slow the spread of COVID-19, all campus cleaning personnel were trained on the CDC recommendations for schools and are taking these extra precautions while cleaning campus facilities:

• Cleaning team supervisors are conducting more quality control checks and assisting cleaning personnel with following the new standards.
• Two additional cleaning personnel are on campus deep cleaning shared spaces, disinfecting classrooms, and cleaning other areas not part of the normal routine.
• The college's supply of disinfectant is being ordered and replenished regularly.
• Public and common areas are being disinfected regularly.
• Offices are cleaned on Tuesday and Friday evenings. The custodial responsibilities are to empty the trash, vacuum the floors, and disinfect all high touch point areas (along with dusting once a week and cleaning carpets once a year). If you have a concern that something in your office is not getting done, email Holly Patterson at hpatterson@westminstercollege.edu with your building and office number to make arrangements for cleaning and disinfecting.

Be aware that concern around this evolving issue can lead to stigma and bias.

• Coronavirus doesn’t recognize race, nationality, or ethnicity.
• Wearing a face mask does not mean that a person is ill.
• Submit a Bias Report if you see, hear, or read misinformation or harassment.
• Show compassion and support for those who have been most closely impacted.