Letter to Residents from UNF COVID Taskforce
August 4, 2020
Dear Student,
We wish to extend a warm welcome to the University of North Florida. We would like to share with you some of our safety protocols to help reduce risks of exposure to COVID-19 during the Fall 2020 semester.
Before reporting to campus for your housing check-in, we highly recommend that you test for COVID and bring a negative test result to campus.
Please begin to perform the Safe Osprey app daily. If the assessment indicates you should not report to campus, complete a self-report and follow the nurse's instructions. (https://unf.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eqT3JLdzLMlztch)
Nurses will be available to perform a health screening. The health screening will include a body temperature evaluation, review of viral symptoms and high risk exposures. COVID testing will not be available on campus during check-in. If the health screening indicates that you have had a high risk COVID exposure or infection, you will be required to delay check-in and stay at home. Ill students will not be permitted to check-in and will need to quarantine or isolate.
Students living on campus or in local apartments in the vicinity of colleges and universities are considered by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) to be living in shared or congregate housing. The University will make COVID 19 testing available to students in university housing to protect for their safety and the safety of the UNF community.
Shared housing residents often gather together closely for social, leisure, and recreational activities, shared dining, laundry facilities, stairwells, and elevators and may have challenges with social distancing to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Protect yourself:
-
Social distance
by staying at least 6 feet apart from others that you do not live with.
-
Wear cloth face coverings
in any shared spaces, not including your room.
-
Wash your hands often
with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer, especially after you have been in a public place.
-
Be alert for symptoms
, including fever, cough, and/or shortness of breath.
In shared kitchens, dining rooms, laundry rooms, and bathrooms:
- Access will be available, but the number of people will be restricted so that everyone can stay at least 6 feet apart from one another.
- People who are sick, their roommates, and those who have higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19 should eat or be fed in their rooms whenever possible.
- Do not share dishes, drinking glasses, cups, or eating utensils. Non-disposable food service items used should be handled with gloves and washed with dish soap and hot water or in a dishwasher.
- Guidelines for doing laundry such as washing instructions and handling of dirty laundry will be posted.
- Sinks could be an infection source and you should avoid placing toothbrushes directly on counter surfaces. Totes can be used for personal items so they do not touch the bathroom countertop.
The following are hygiene habits that the CDC recommends for everyone during a disease outbreak:
- Clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces in your area daily, including phones, remote controls, countertops, tabletops, doorknobs, bathroom handles, toilets, keyboards, tablets, and bedside tables.
- Wash your hands for 20 seconds with soap often, including after coughing, sneezing, using the bathroom, and before and after eating.
Isolation
If a resident has or thinks he/she has COVID-19, the student is required to complete a self-report form (https://unf.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eqT3JLdzLMlztch) for review by Student Health Services. If possible, the student is encouraged to isolate at home off-campus; otherwise the University will attempt to provide housing that will enable the student to self-isolate on campus.
In the event of a positive COVID-19 test, the University will notify persons who may have had close contact with the sick person of the potential exposure. Confidentiality will be maintained to the extent required by law.
Physical and mental health services will be provided via telehealth as well as daily check-ins by a nurse. This is important in order to assess the person's progress or deterioration of health.
Referral/Transfer
In the event a student is experiencing any of the following, they should be transferred to a health care facility:
- Trouble breathing
- Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
- New confusion
- Inability to wake or stay awake
- Bluish lips or face
- Severe depression, or anxiety or ideation of self-harm.
- Unable to perform activities of daily living such as eating and bathing.
- Dehydration from severe vomiting /diarrhea
Quarantine
If a person has been exposed, defined as close contact of less than 6 feet distance for 15 minutes or greater without a face mask or other personal protective equipment, to a person suspected of having COVID-19, he/she should enter self-quarantine. Current CDC guidance indicates that this quarantine should last for 14 days. The rationale for this separation is that usually any symptoms of COVID-19 appear within 2 weeks or less after an exposure or infection. Some people with COVID- 19 do not experience any symptoms. Quarantine should last for up to 14 days to allow time to confirm that the person is not infected and will not spread it to others. If possible, the student is encouraged to quarantine at home of-campus; otherwise, they should self-quarantine in their room.
During this time, quarantined individuals should:
- Stay in their assigned room unless they absolutely must leave, such as for essential medical appointments.
- Separate from other household members, classmates, and teachers.
- Use a separate bedroom and bathroom if possible.
- Not share utensils, dishes, cups/glasses, bedding, towels, and other personal items
On campus:
- If you have a meal membership or would like to purchase one for the quarantine period, food will be delivered.
- You will be provided daily mental and health checks.
- You will have access to online academic resources.
For additional information you may call the University's COVID Hotline at (904) 620-1779.
Sincerely,
Bob Greenlaw
COVID Task Force Coordinator of Operations
Dr. Doreen Perez
COVID Coordinator
University of North Florida