Environmental Health & Safety

COVID-19 Campus Protocols

On Friday, May 14, 2021 Governor Roy Cooper announced the following changes are in place for North Carolina with some limited exceptions:

  • No statewide mask (face covering) mandate
  • No mandatory mass gathering limits
  • No mandatory capacity limits
  • No mandatory social distancing requirements

Effective Monday, May 17, 2021, Wake Technical Community College will not impose any additional restrictions beyond those in the executive order. Face coverings and other social distancing protocols, while still encouraged for unvaccinated people, will not be required.

If you teach or take classes in-person at an off-campus site, please follow the protocols in place at the site.

Employees and students are welcome to continue to wear face coverings. Please keep in mind that individuals should not be asked to disclose their vaccination status or why they are wearing a face covering. This is private information and should be respected at all times.

During this transition time, please be patient as our employees and students make their own decisions about how to continue to protect themselves on campus. For instance, if you meet with a student or fellow employee in a small space, such as a private office, be mindful that they may request to meet in an alternate location that allows more distance. 

Please continue to report if exposed, tested, or diagnosed with COVID following the protocols below, and if you are feeling sick, please do not come to campus.

Please feel free to direct your questions to [email protected].

COVID-19 Campus Exposure Procedure

Possible Exposure - Close Contact

 
 
 1.

If you have:

  • Been within 6 feet of an infected person for a total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period.

   OR

  • Been less than 6 feet from an individual who has tested positive for COVID-19 (laboratory confirmed) but has not had any symptoms

You should:

  • Immediately report this possible exposure to your instructor (if you are a student) or to your supervisor (if you are an employee).
  • Isolate yourself from all other people, including those in your household.
  • Contact your healthcare provider or county health department for evaluation and testing.
  • Stay away from campus for 14 days from the date of exposure. After 14 days you may return to campus as long as you do not have any symptoms or a positive test result.
  • Quarantine Exception: Continue to wear a face covering and return to campus if you have been fully vaccinated (2 weeks from final inoculation) and do not have symptoms OR have had the virus within the past 3 months and do not have symptoms

Positive Test but No Symptoms

 

 
 
 2.

If you have:

  • Been tested for
    COVID-19 and received a positive diagnosis but are currently not experiencing symptoms

You should:

  • Immediately report this diagnosis to your instructor (if you are a student) or to your supervisor (if you are an employee).
  • Isolate yourself from all other people, including those in your household.
  • Follow your healthcare provider’s directions for follow-up testing + CDC guidelines for monitoring your symptoms. Monitoring includes watching for symptoms and checking your temperature every 12 hours.
  • Stay away from campus for 10 days following your diagnosis and healthcare provider's directions for follow-up testing. After 10 days you may return to campus as long as you do not have any symptoms.

Positive Test with Symptoms

 

  
 
 3.

If you have:

  • Been tested for
    COVID-19 and received a positive diagnosis and are currently experiencing symptoms

You should:

  • Immediately report this diagnosis to your instructor (if you are a student) or to your supervisor (if you are an employee).
  • Isolate yourself from all other people, including those in your household.
  • Follow your healthcare provider’s directions for treatment of your symptoms.
  • Stay away from campus until:
    • you have gone 3 days with no fever without using fever-reducing medication during that time,
    • your respiratory symptoms have improved,
      AND
    • it has been at least 10 days since symptoms first appeared.

Negative Test With Symptoms

 4.

If you have:

  • Been tested for
    COVID-19 and received a negative diagnosis and are currently experiencing symptoms

You should:

  • Immediately notify your instructor (if you are a student) or your supervisor (if you are an employee) that you are experiencing these symptoms.
  • Stay away from campus until your symptoms have improved.

Communication

 
 
 
 5.

If you have:

  • Upon receiving a report, instructors and supervisors will immediately notify Human Resources (at [email protected]) and their direct supervisor.
  • Human Resources will communicate with executive leadership and maintain appropriate confidentiality while promptly notifying anyone who may be impacted so that they can self-monitor.
  • Individuals who initiated the response will be asked to assist with contact tracing. This information will be tracked separately from personnel and student records, and names will remain confidential.
  • The college may elect to close an impacted classroom, office or building space for a period up to 72 hours following a confirmed case to allow for disinfection and natural deactivation of the virus.
  • Individuals who were possibly exposed to or tested positive for COVID-19 may be asked to provide documentation from a healthcare provider that they are cleared to return to campus.
Updated: 5/17/2021