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Dear UAF faculty and staff,
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Campus soft closure begins next week, and I hope those of you who are able to take advantage of this time are able to do so. If you do plan to travel over the winter closure, it will be important that prior to returning to work on-site, you follow the campus entry restrictions guidance. At this time, the State of Alaska Health Order No. 6 requires anyone traveling outside of the state do one of the following:
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- Take a COVID-19 test within 72 hours prior to arrival in Alaska, and practice strict social distancing for five (5) days with a negative test result, or;
- If a state resident, quarantine for 14 days prior to returning to work on-site - no test is required, or;
- If travel outside of the state is less than three (3) days, no test is required.
Many questions have come up regarding last week's COVID-19 communication, where I highlighted recent changes to the UA campus entry restrictions guidance under special restrictions section two. This section was updated to reflect the new CDC guidance for “close contact” quarantine timelines and allows UAF to decide which quarantine option to follow.
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UAF has adopted the 10-day quarantine option, listed as option two below. UAF has not adopted the seven (7) day quarantine option (listed as option three) because of our residential housing and in-person classes. As UAF evaluates the possibility of moving to the seven-day quarantine plus testing option, we will communicate and release new campus guidance. For further clarification, I’ve provided additional details around the “close contact” options:
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OPTION ONE: Original CDC Guidance - Quarantine for 14 days, release on Day 15 if you have no COVID-19 symptoms.
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- The 14-day guidance is for anyone who is considered a “close contact” with a COVID-19-positive individual. The “close contact” can quarantine for 14 days and end quarantine on day 15 if you have no COVID-19 symptoms.
OPTION TWO: New CDC Guidance
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- Quarantine for 10 days, release on Day 11 if you have no COVID-19 symptoms.
- The 10 day guidance is for anyone who is considered a “close contact” with a COVID-19-positive individual. The “close contact” can quarantine for 10 days, and be released from quarantine on day 11 if you have no COVID-19 symptoms.
OPTION THREE: New CDC Guidance (not applicable at UAF at this time):
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- Quarantine for 7 days, release on day 8 if you have a negative COVID-19 test and no COVID-19 symptoms.
- The 7-day guidance is for anyone who is considered a “close contact” with a COVID-19-positive individual. The “close contact” can quarantine for five (5) days, take a COVID-19 test on day six or seven (6-7), and can be released from quarantine on day eight (8) if you have a negative COVID-19 test result and have no COVID-19 symptoms.
CDC has added the two new “close contact” quarantine options to reduce the length of quarantine which, as stated by the CDC, “may make it easier for people to quarantine by reducing the time they cannot work. A shorter quarantine period also can lessen stress on the public health system, especially when new infections are rapidly rising.”
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For anyone traveling this holiday season, I hope you and your family stay safe, and if you have any questions about returning to work, please contact your supervisor or the Operations Support Team (OST) lead, Doug Schrage, for additional guidance.
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