WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., March 14, 2022 — Please find below the updated contact tracing guidelines as approved by the West Liberty University Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) and following the best practices of the CDC and the Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department.
Definition of Terms
- Quarantine – separation of exposed individuals
- Isolation – separation of infected individuals, even those without symptoms
- Close Contact in Higher Ed – within 6 feet of someone for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period regardless of masking practices.
Students/Faculty/Staff should report if they are diagnosed with COVID-19 or if they have been named a close contact of a positive COVID-19 case using the positive report form linked here.
If You Test Positive for COVID-19 (Isolate)
Everyone, regardless of vaccination status:
- Stay home for 5 days. If you are a student who resides on-campus and you cannot go home to isolate, WLU will attempt to provide an isolation space for you based on availability.
- Complete the positive report form, stating that you have tested positive.
- Advise your close contacts of the possible exposure (contacts see info below)
- Inform your professors that you are unable to attend in-person class.
- If you tested off-campus, upload a copy of your positive test result showing your name and date of test to the Student Health Portal. Home tests will not be accepted at this time.
- If you have symptoms and your symptoms are gone or greatly resolved after 5 days, you can leave isolation. If you have a fever, you should continue to isolate until your fever resolves. Student
- Health Services will make every effort to contact you prior to the end of your isolation and forward you a written release of isolation.
- You will be advised to continue to wear a mask around others for 5 additional days.
- Athletes are required to be seen by Athletic Training prior to returning to athletic participation.
If You Were Exposed to Someone with Covid-19 (Quarantine)
I. If you:
- Have been boosted or
- Completed the primary series of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine within the last 5 months or
- Completed the primary series of J&J vaccine within the last 2 months
Then you should:
- Wear a mask around others for 10 days
- Test on day 5. If you are a student, you may contact Student Health Services to schedule a free COVID test at 304-336-8049, Monday-Friday from 7-3 pm or you may test at an off-campus location and upload results to the Student Health Portal. Employees should seek a test at one of the local testing locations, such as Doctors Urgent Care or Roxby Labs.
- If you:
- Completed the primary series of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine more than 5 months ago and are not boosted or
- Completed the primary series of J&J more than 2 months ago and are not boosted or
- Are unvaccinated
Then you should:
Stay home for 5 days. After that continue to wear a mask around others for 5 additional days.
- Complete the positive report form, stating that you are a direct contact
- Inform your professors that you are unable to attend in-person class
- Test on day 5. You may contact Student Health Services to schedule a free COVID test at 304-336-8049, Monday-Friday from 7-3 pm or you may test at an off-campus location and upload results to the student health portal. Employees should seek a test at one of the local testing locations, such as Doctors Urgent Care or Roxby Labs.
If you develop symptoms get a test and stay home
NOTE: Household Contacts are individuals who share any living space with someone diagnosed with COVID-19. This includes bedrooms, bathrooms, living rooms, kitchens, etc. This also includes roommates in residence halls, apartments and houses on campus, as well as suite mates in residence halls on campus. Household contacts must quarantine if they are exposed to the case.
- If the contact cannot separate from the case within the home, the contact must quarantine for the case’s (minimum) 5-day isolation period plus an additional 5 days. The contact should then wear a mask for 5 additional days.
Separation requirements are as follows:
- The case must never be in the same room as household members.
- The case cannot share plates, cups, dishes or phones with household members.
- The case should have their own bathroom. Not possible? Household must conduct daily cleaning.
If household contacts develop symptoms of COVID-19, they should get tested.
*Protocol is subject to change
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