The following guidelines have been developed with the safety and health of our employees and students as our primary concern. Our efforts have been made in coordination with all of the public universities in Ohio, aligned with guidance by the Governor, the Ohio Department of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American College Health Association (ACHA).
All employed members of the NEOMED community will be assessed with regard to need to be on campus (to complete one’s job responsibilities), risk to be on campus (considering age and health risks), and social/structural impediments to be on campus. (e.g., family care issues). “At Risk” for COVID-19 under NEOMED’s RTC Guidelines for Phase 3 includes any person who:
- is over the age of 60;
- has an underlying health condition, including liver disease, chronic lung disease, diabetes, severe obesity (body mass index of 40), moderate to severe asthma, chronic kidney disease, serious heart condition; and
- has a compromised immune system, such as by chemotherapy for cancer or other conditions requiring immunosuppressive therapy.
“Social/Structural Impediments” for Phase 3 are a lack of school/childcare for a dependent child or adult day care for a dependent adult.
Policies will be put in place to protect the privacy of people at higher risk for severe illness. Some employees may be able to work effectively from home and thus delay their return beyond Phase 4, which begins August 3.
New responsibilities
All employees/students are required to complete newly developed CITI training modules to ensure a thorough and common understanding of the pandemic, its risks, and the importance of risk mitigation strategies. Information regarding directions and details of specific module assignments will be shared in a separate communication to the NEOMED community.
All employees and students will be asked to sign a Social Contract that sets forth the terms and conditions for returning to campus, as well as the consequences for non-compliance. Employees who signed a Social Contract as part of Phase 2 or Phase 3 should return their executed document to managers, who will send forms to the Office of Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (EOHS) (safety@neomed.edu) for storage/management.
Employee/student responsibilities
All employees/students are required to conduct daily self-assessments prior to arrival on campus, including determining the absence of fever and other symptoms consistent with COVID-19. The University will no longer require a copy be sent to the Safety Office or require employees to submit logs to managers.
All employees/students must remain home if symptomatic/ill.
Employee meetings should be conducted electronically, even when working on campus. If this is not possible, participation must be kept to a minimum number of individuals, observing physical distancing and wearing face coverings.
Single occupancy in work rooms is strongly encouraged.
All employees/students must secure and wear a cloth face covering at all times while on campus indoors (optional outdoors), except within their private offices/study room with the door closed, or while eating.
All employees/students are expected to wash their hands frequently with soap and water or to use hand sanitizer.
Employees are expected to maintain a minimum physical distance of six feet between themselves and others and minimize the number of people in common and work/study areas.
Each employee must disinfect their workspace before beginning work, periodically through the day if necessary, and at the end of the workday, using NEOMED-supplied disinfectants.
Exposure or Infection
Employees/students will be referred to their primary care physician for testing. If they do not have a primary care physician, employees/students may be referred to Kent State University’s DeWeese Health Center.
All employees/students must report the following to COVIDReporting@neomed.edu: Travel outside of the country; illness consistent with COVID-19 (Symptom form); contact with a COVID-19-positive (tested or presumed) patient; and surveillance by a local health department
The University’s Medical Director and EOHS staff will conduct University contact tracing for those reporting illness or exposure.
Employees/students with documented exposures to COVID- 19 or at-risk travel will be required to remain home from the University and to self-quarantine for a period or 14 days from exposure or return from at- risk travel.
Continuity of Academic Programs
A mixture of in-person and virtual/on-line instruction will be used. Priority for in-person instruction will be given to those courses and activities that cannot be achieved virtually.
If learning activities preclude physical distancing or require physical contact, face coverings, gloves or additional personal protective equipment will be required.
Research activities should clearly align with the VP for Research’s Return to Research Guidelines.
Continuity of University Operations
The Bookstore will remain closed to the public for Phase 3, but will be open to NEOMED employees and students, as well as members of the Bio-Med community. The Bistro and Erie Island will be open to employees/students with “grab and go” items for purchase.
The campus will generally remain closed to visitors/general public until Phase 4 (August).
All University-sponsored international travel and non-essential domestic travel remains suspended until further notice.
More details are available at Campus Advisories on the NEOMED website.