New Campus COVID-19 Information

Guidelines for COM Staff and Faculty To Report Student-Related COVID-19 Concerns

Faculty or staff who are contacted by a student who is experiencing symptoms, has concerns that they have been exposed to a patient who tested positive for COVID-19 or who has tested positive themselves for COVID-19, must notify Carol Schuster at (716) 534-1882 or via email at [email protected]. The notification should include the student’s name, a brief description of the situation and the student’s cell phone number. If the student has symptoms, also refer them to their primary care physician, if they have not yet been in contact with them.

Learn more about this and what to do if a student becomes symptomatic while in the building or on rotation at https://rockford.medicine.uic.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2020/03/REPORTING-OF-STUDENT-INFORMATION-REGARDING-COVID19-8-18-2020.pdf

Guidelines for COM Students with COVID-19 Symptoms or Exposures

The Rockford Recovery group has modified some of our COVID reporting procedures. If a student develops symptoms consistent with COVID-19 or has been in close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 please do as follows:

1. The student should contact their Primary Care Physician, Student Health (815-395-5870), or call 911 as appropriate.
2. The student should notify Dean Blevins ([email protected]) or Dean Richards ([email protected])
3. The student should expect to receive a follow-up call from the Winnebago County Health Department.

Please remember that you are not to come to campus if you have been instructed to quarantine or isolate as a result of COVID. You must be able to answer the two entry questions (Do you have symptoms of COVID? and Have you been in contact with anyone who has COVID or COVID symptoms?) to the negative, have your temperature taken, and wear a mask prior to entering the campus.

No Visitors Allowed in Campus Buildings

Only students, staff, faculty and some contractors/vendors with appointments who must be on campus should be in campus buildings. Family, friends and the general public should not be inside the buildings at this time.

Masking Reminders

Wearing a mask may help prevent people who have COVID-19 from spreading the virus. Remember to:

• Make sure you have the right kind of mask
• Bring your mask with you
• Wear your mask at all times on campus and whenever you can’t maintain 6-ft. of social distancing
• Wear your mask correctly so it covers both nose and mouth
• Keep your mask clean

Learn more about making, wearing and washing your mask at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/about-face-coverings.html.

Travel Restrictions

The UIC Health Sciences Campus-Rockford, along with Correctional Health Care Services, MERIT and Mile Square Health Center – L.P. Johnson Rockford, has implemented return-to-work guidelines related to self-quarantine requirements implemented by University Health Services and the Winnebago County Health Department.  Employees who have returned from personal travel or have hosted visitors from outside the U.S. or from the following COVID-19 high-burden states/regions will not be allowed to return to on-campus work until cleared by University Health Services.

For the most current list of high-burden states, see https://www.wchd.org/covid.

Clearance to return to work is dependent on a number of variables including COVID-19 symptoms and known contact with a COVID-19-positive person during travel.  For healthcare workers, the minimum time off work will be eight days after return from or hosting visitors from the high-burden state.  For non-healthcare workers, the minimum time before returning to on- campus work will be 14 days after return or hosting visitors from the high-burden state.  Employees would be required to have a COVID-19 swab test a minimum of five days after returning from the high-burden state.

Please note that states designated as high-burden and university restrictions are subject to change.  Prior to any travel, employees should carefully consider the impact their travel will have on the ability to return to work.  Specific questions should be directed to Brett Ruiz ([email protected]) in Human Resources.