Employee protocol for confirmed, suspected and close contact COVID-19 cases

The following guidance outlines the actions that employees and supervisors must take if they are diagnosed with COVID-19, suspect they might have COVID-19 or are deemed a close contact of a COVID-19 positive individual. These actions, based on current CDC guidance, are intended to protect the health and safety of campus occupants; they are not medical guidance.

If you test positive:

• Stay home and contact your supervisor. Supervisors must maintain the confidentiality of the impacted employee.
• Stay in contact with your primary care physician or go through MUSC or Roper’s virtual care systems for continued care.
• In most cases, you are required to remain out of work and isolate for five days after onset of symptom or positive test result. You will be allowed to return to work after five days of isolation, and you will be asked to wear a mask around others at work for an additional five days.

If you are experiencing symptoms:

• Stay home and contact your supervisor.
• Contact your primary care physician or go through MUSC or Roper’s virtual care systems to schedule a test. We also ask that you remain out of work until you receive a negative COVID-19 test or your symptoms subside. 

If you are deemed a close contact or someone in your household or work environment tests positive: 

• Based on CDC and DHEC guidance, you may continue to work, but you are encouraged to wear a mask and monitor symptoms daily regardless of vaccination status. 
• Unless advised by a medical professional to do so, you may not need to quarantine or be tested unless symptoms develop.

Contact tracing:

• According to DHEC, state agencies and institutions are no longer required to conduct contact tracing with each positive case. Therefore, we also encourage you to review the CDC calculator tool for isolation and quarantine guidance (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/quarantine-isolation.html).
• If you were in close contact (within 6 feet for more than 15 minutes) with anyone 48 hours prior to your positive test result, you should contact them and they should follow the CDC guidance for quarantine using the tool above.

If you have any questions or concerns, or are in need of a free at-home COVID test, please contact hr@citadel.edu