Thank you to all who were able to view the UMass Chan Town Hall on Tuesday, Jan. 11, where we discussed a number of important practices and policies related to our COVID-19 response. As you know, the omicron variant is challenging all of us to closely follow best practices for minimizing the spread of the virus on our campus and in our communities. To that end, here are some reminders of our practices and procedures for testing, masking and reporting. A recording of the town hall is at this link.
COVID-19 testing: Effective immediately, students, faculty and staff who are getting weekly testing at one of UMass Chan’s testing sites must schedule an appointment to do so. Walk-ins will be turned away. Because of the increased demand for testing, our vendor is limiting us to 575 tests per day – sufficient to meet our needs if appointments are scheduled. Please remember that unless you are directed by Infection Control, tests are limited to one per week and are for students, faculty and staff who come to campus. Appointments may be scheduled here.
Testing after contact with someone who has COVID-19: A contact is defined as being fewer than 6 feet from someone who has COVID-19 for 15 minutes or longer, typically without a mask (as when eating). Those who share households are considered high risk exposures. If you have had a close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, you should watch for possible symptoms and be tested five days after the exposure. You can schedule your weekly test on this timetable. (Do not come to the testing site if you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19. Do not remove your mask in the testing site or in the presence of others for swabbing: drop off only.)
Managers should not send staff immediately for testing following the report of a contact: testing fewer than five days after exposure may not give an accurate result.
Testing after having COVID-19: Please do not return to the testing site for 90 days after your symptom onset or after a positive COVID-19 test if you were asymptomatic. The COVID-19 PCR test can detect bits of RNA for weeks but does not indicate infection. That is also the reason that a COVID-19 PCR test is not typically used to release someone from isolation; this is only done using well-defined clinical criteria.
Masking: Masking standards have not changed. The minimum masking requirement in any UMass Chan facility is a paper surgical mask. These are available at building entrances. Cloth masks may be worn over a paper surgical mask; cloth masks alone do not meet UMass Chan masking requirements at any UMass Chan campus or facility, including South Street. Those who wish to wear KN95 or N95 may do so, but these are not provided by UMass Chan and users will be responsible for selecting a mask that fits appropriately and comfortably.
Boosters: UMass Chan requires that all faculty, staff and students obtain a booster shot, per CDC guidelines, which recommend that everyone should get a booster 5 months after the second dose of the Pfizer/Moderna vaccine or two months after the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Those who have had a recent COVID-19 infection may wait to get the booster. When you have had your booster, upload the documentation here. Questions? Email Theresa.Kane@umassmed.edu
Access to vaccination: You can find a location and schedule a vaccination or booster shot at https://vaxfinder.mass.gov/.
UMass Chan COVID-19 resources: Schedule a COVID-19 test and find travel guidance, links to virtual town hall meetings and more at https://umassmed.edu/coronavirus/.
We have refined the criteria we use to assess the safety of our campus facilities and the circumstances when we might require changes in access or in the capacity of meetings, classes and other gatherings on campus. As you know, we established a campus alert status system when we moved significant components of our education, business, academic and operational activities to a remote environment in the early weeks of the pandemic. Since that time, much has changed, including a better understanding of the COVID-19 virus; the development of evidence-based best practices for masking and distancing; the availability of testing and – importantly – the availability of safe, highly-effective, accessible vaccines. Consequently, we have revised the criteria to reflect these changes; and we have changed the current campus alert status to “orange.” You can see the current campus status here and read the current criteria for campus alert status here.
Finally, we want to acknowledge that the pandemic continues to stress many of the systems and resources that we depend on to manage our work, home and social environments. This is difficult for us all. Please keep this in mind when you interact with, for example, the caregivers and staff who work in testing sites, Employee Health Services, Student Health, the Office of Well-Being and all of the other areas that are trying very hard to keep you and the environment we are in safe for us all. They are busy; they are working very hard; and they would appreciate your patience, grace and goodwill.
