Optional Section Title

April 13, 2020

TO:                  UAF Community
FROM:          Daniel M. White, Chancellor
RE:                  COVID-19 Reporting Procedure

The UA System Office (Statewide) has enacted the following policy:

MAUs must systematically collect information regarding the presence in UA facilities of persons with COVID-19 or under investigation for COVID-19, regardless of source, inquire of employees and students who are or recently were present in UA facilities regarding COVID-19 symptoms/investigation/confirmation, take CDC recommended action such as cleaning facilities and warning affected students/employees, track the action taken, and, where significant numbers of people are affected, transmit that information to Public Health. 

In addition, Statewide General Counsel has provided Implementation Guidance. The following procedure is intended to comply with this guidance and the aforementioned policy.

Procedure

  1. Information regarding the presence of COVID-19 in UAF facilities or operations may be observed, disclosed, or reported, and may originate from a variety of sources, including potentially infected students, employees, contractors, public health, etc.
  2. All supervisors (or delegates) must complete the UA Employee COVID Status Tracking Tool for all employees, regardless of status, and update each employee’s status any time it changes.
    1. Update employee status when an employee reports being sick with COVID-like symptoms or reports being COVID-positive.  Also update their status when they are out sick with non-COVID illness or are on leave.
    2. Update employee status when they recover from the illness and have returned to work (either remotely, reduced time on campus, or working on campus).
  3. All UAF affiliates - students, faculty, staff, as well as residents of UAF housing and contractors - that are or have been in a UAF facility within the last 48 hours, and that are: COVID-19-positive; have fever, cough, or shortness of breath; or are a Person Under Investigation by the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS), are required to report their condition to EHSRM via email to uaf-ehsrm-1@alaska.edu. This email is only for COVID-19 reporting and has appropriate privacy measures in place. The information gathered will be handled in a responsible manner in order to provide a measure of privacy to employees and students. It will help guide the Incident Management Team in managing disinfection, distancing measures and building access. The email should provide the following information:
    1. Nature of COVID-19-related status (positive, under investigation, symptoms);
    2. Date of first symptoms;
    3. When the individual was last at a UA facility, and specific movements;
    4. When the individual last traveled on UA business; and
    5. Contacts in the 48 hours preceding COVID-19 symptoms with UA affiliates or others while on UA business.
    6. EHSRM will follow up with the submitter to determine if additional disinfecting, building closure, or warning measures are required and to identify close contacts in UAF facilities within the last 48 hours.
    7. If the submitter is a resident of UAF housing, EHSRM will also notify Residence Life.
  1. In addition, employees who have been in UAF facilities in the last 48 hours must report to their supervisor if they are COVID-19-positive; have fever, cough, or shortness of breath; or are a Person Under Investigation.
    1. A supervisor is expected to take immediate action to exclude such employees from the facility.
      1. In addition, supervisors must take steps to monitor third party (e.g. contractor) personnel, using tools such as a sign-in sheet.
      2. If a supervisor becomes aware that an employee or 3rd party is COVID-19-positive; has fever, cough, or shortness of breath; or is a Person Under Investigation, they must also be excluded from the facility, and this should be reported to EHSRM.
    2. The supervisor then updates the UA Employee COVID Status Tracking Tool.
    3. The supervisor must consult EHSRM for guidance on possible disinfection, closure, or warning needs.
  1. Employees that report sick for non-COVID-19-related illness need not report the nature of their illness to their supervisor. However, the supervisor must confirm whether sick employees have been in a UAF facility or involved in-person in UAF operations in the 48 hours prior to becoming sick.
    1. If yes, the supervisor must ask whether the employee has COVID-19 symptoms (fever, cough, shortness of breath), is under investigation for COVID-19, or has been confirmed as COVID-19 positive.  Do not inquire regarding illnesses other than COVID-19.
    2. If no, supervisors must not inquire regarding the nature of the illness. However, if an employee volunteers a COVID-19 status, document the fact that the disclosure was voluntary and that the employee has not been in a UAF facility or involved in in-person UAF operations in the 48 hours preceding COVID-19 status.
  1. The IMT Employee Status Unit will monitor employee status, and the Student Residents Unit will monitor housing resident status, and report to the Situation Awareness Section.
  2. Based on knowledge of COVID-19-positive persons, those with COVID-19-like symptoms, and Persons Under Investigation, EHSRM will notify the appropriate unit in the IMT:
    1. Disinfection Unit if additional disinfection is recommended.
    2. Housing Unit or Facilities Unit if buildings need restricted access and/or signage.
  1. The IMT Situation Awareness Section will report COVID status daily to the UAF IMT director and the SW IMT incident commander. This will permit the SW IMT incident commander to report to DHSS if significant numbers if COVID-19 illnesses are reported.
  2. UA Personnel may only disclose medical information through the channels described in this procedure.

For more information regarding COVID-19, see https://sites.google.com/alaska.edu/coronavirus/

DMW:jdp

  Download signed memo (PDF)