January 7, 2022
F.A.Q. for the Spring 2022 Semester
Dear Assumption Faculty and Staff,

Happy New Year! As we prepare for the return of students this weekend, please find below some reminders and information regarding the evolving situation with COVID-19 and the highly contagious Omicron variant.

If the University must switch to remote learning, how will it be communicated?
We are planning on in-person learning for Monday but if conditions change, we will communicate directly with the community. We will announce this information similar to when we have a snow day through email, the app, and our website. In-person co-curricular activities, including the opening of the Plourde, will resume on Tuesday, January 11, at the earliest.

Why not just start classes remotely due to the Omicron surge?
We witnessed how difficult online learning was last year for students and know that in-person learning is the best environment for our students and faculty. We also want to provide a spring calendar that is reasonable (including Spring and Easter Breaks) and still allow for Commencement to occur on May 8, 2022. We learned from last year that the lack of breaks in the spring was challenging for all of us. However, we are prepared to switch to remote learning if necessary.

What if I do not feel well?
We ask that if you do not feel well, please stay home and go to a medical testing facility, take a home test or consult your primary care physician. 

Your family responsibilities must always come first. If a member of your family is ill, get them tested, take a home test or consult their primary care physician. Please monitor for symptoms in yourself and quarantine if you are not fully vaccinated. 

What if a member of my family is identified as a close contact to a positive COVID-19 individual?
If a family member becomes symptomatic, get them tested, take a home test or consult their primary care physician. Employees can come to campus and test only if they are asymptomatic. To protect the campus community, including the Testing Center employees, faculty and staff should not enter the Testing Center if they are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms. If you become symptomatic, get tested, take a home test or consult your primary care physician. If a family member is unvaccinated and instructed to quarantine because of being a close contact, then anyone living in the shared household should quarantine.

What if I have caretaker responsibilities for either COVID-19 or an exposed family member at home?
If you have temporary caretaker responsibilities related to COVID-19, please check with your supervisor or dean about working or teaching remotely.

What if I or a member of my family tests positive on a home test?
Individuals who test positive on a home antigen test and experiencing symptoms - even mild – are considered a true positive case of COVID-19. A PCR test is not necessary to confirm your positive result. Employees who test positive outside of the campus testing protocol should upload a copy of their result to Medicat. For a home test, place your home positive test on a piece of paper and write your name and date of test on the paper. Take a photo and then upload the photo into the Medicat system.

What if I cannot get the booster before classes begin?
Employees have until February 1 to comply with the booster requirement.

What if I am in my 90-day window of having COVID-19, when can I get the booster?
Unless just you contracted the virus within the last few weeks, you probably had the Alpha, or more likely, the Delta variant. Unfortunately, this has not proven to provide much protection from the new Omicron variant. You can obtain the booster as soon as you have recovered from your initial infection. Only patients that received the monoclonal antibodies for prior infection need to wait 90 days before receiving a booster. 

What if I want an exemption from the booster, but did receive the original COVID-19 vaccine dose(s)?
If employees, on the advice of their physician, should not receive the booster (i.e., negative reaction to a previous vaccine, evolving medical concerns, etc.) they may apply for a medical exemption for the COVID-19 booster by contacting Human Resources. 

What if I test positive through the Campus Testing Center? How long do I have to isolate and how am I communicated with?
If you test positive through the Broad, employees will receive a secure message from Health Services. The secure message will indicate your possible return date. If you are asymptomatic on day 5, then you may return to campus on day 6, but must always wear a mask indoors and outdoors. It is also helpful to take a home antigen test on day 5 to make sure you test negative. If you are still experiencing symptoms (unless they have significantly improved), or if you have a fever over 100 degrees, then you should continue to isolate until day 10. Before you return to campus, you must complete the self-attestation form and upload the signed form to Medicat to have your University identification reactivated and access campus. Employees who test positive will also receive a call from a member of our contact tracing team to identify close contacts on campus.

Do faculty need to maintain a seating chart for classes or maintain a record of meetings with students?
It is helpful if faculty and staff maintain some notes on interactions with students should the contract tracer need additional information. However, the University will not ask faculty to submit their seating charts this semester.

Supporting Health Services and the Testing Center
Health Services is currently inundated with student questions and needs. The Health Center is not staffed to support employee health. Employees should contact their own health provider, their divisional vice president/dean, or Human Resources with COVID-19 related inquiries.

The University Testing Center is a surveillance testing facility and not equipped to accommodate symptomatic testing. We ask all members of the community to keep our Testing Center staff safe by only going to test if you are asymptomatic. Please also refrain from socializing or conducting University business in the Testing Center and observe social distancing rules by not accessing the area behind, or to the side of, the plexiglass to speak with staff. If you have a question for the Testing Center staff, please call 508-767-7225. As a community compromised of individuals that cares for the well-being of one another, let’s continue to take good care of our Testing Center staff by being kind and respectful.
 
Sincerely,

Robert G. Carson, MSHRM, CDR, PRC
Associate Vice President for Human Resources
500 Salisbury Street, Worcester, MA, 01609  (508) 767-7000