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COVID-19 Safety Protocols

See topics forCOVID-19 Information for Employees

 

Updated 10/27/2023

Meetings, Events, and Gatherings

Below is a summary of applicable rules that may be helpful to departments. Please continue to adhere to these important safety measures, which remain in place to promote the safety and wellness of our UConn Health community.

Please note that this guidance is subject to change based upon conditions in the future, including, but not limited to, rising transmission rates, concerns about vaccine protection levels, variant spread, etc. Updates will be issued as needed.

Masking

In accordance with the latest UConn Health Mask Protocol issued on October 20, 2023, due to increased COVID-19 community transmission, UConn Health’s workforce is required to wear a mask during all direct, patient-facing interactions in both outpatient and inpatient settings. This includes when entering a patient room or prolonged, close contact with a patient. Future additional masking requirements may be implemented in specific units, clinics or departments by UConn Health and will be communicated with entryway signage.

With this October update, masking is required:

  • For all UConn Health workforce members during direct, patient-facing interactions, in both outpatient and inpatient settings.
  • In any UConn Health location, for any individual (workforce member or patient) who has signs or symptoms of respiratory illness.*
    *Important: Employees should not come to work sick. Those with respiratory symptoms should call the COVID-19 Call Center for guidance on evaluation and testing.
  • For those required to be masked upon return to work after a COVID infection; and
  • For any individual with a known, recent (within the last 10 days) high-risk exposure to COVID-19.

Masks are recommended by UConn Health for both patients and visitors. However, patients and visitors are required to wear a mask in our facilities if:

  • They have symptoms that may be due to respiratory illness; or
  • They have had a known, recent (within the last 10 days) high-risk exposure to COVID-19.

Anyone who prefers to mask in areas where masking is not required should feel free to continue masking.

Please note that, while classroom masking will generally be optional, individual instructors are permitted to continue to require masking in their classrooms or instructional spaces. Also, hosts of certain events or gatherings may require masks for attendees.

Questions? Visit Masking Guidelines Frequently Asked Questions for more information.

Screening

All outside participants, regardless of vaccination status, must undergo COVID-19 screening and enter through public entrances. If hosting a group of visitors, it is helpful to assign a representative to meet the guests at the point of entry to escort them to their destination.

Social Distancing

Room and other space capacity restrictions no longer apply at this time. All meetings and gatherings are allowed up to the maximum room capacity limits.

Eating and Drinking

Food continues to not be permitted at gatherings/meetings/events held inside in clinical and patient-care areas throughout UConn Health facilities and other areas where masks are required. Food and drink is permitted at this time in areas that are mask optional.

Events

Apart from parameters outlined in the Common Space Use Policy, UConn Health meeting rooms, auditoriums, and other spaces are all open for request to book at this time. Meetings and events may be booked up to the capacity limits of the room/space requested. The Campus Planning, Design and Construction Department and the Parking, Transportation and Event Services/Room Scheduling Department can help provide room capacity limits, if needed. Please contact roomscheduling@uchc.edu with any questions.

Hygiene

Remember that frequent handwashing and hand sanitation can help prevent infection and spread of the disease.

COVID-19 Call Center

Please call the UConn Health COVID-19 Call Center immediately at 860-679-3199 if you experience any symptoms associated with COVID-19 or if you come into contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.

Updated 10/17/2022

UConn Health Workforce Members Who Test COVID Positive or Have Symptoms

If you are a UConn Health Workforce Member who has:

  • COVID-19 symptoms,
  • Flu or seasonal allergy symptoms, or
  • Tested positive for COVID-19

Use the decision charts to see how you should proceed.

If you do not have symptoms but have had a high-risk exposure to someone who is COVID-19 positive, please call the Call Center for further guidance.

This fall UConn Health updated its return-to-work guidelines specifically for students and workforce members not needed on-site to address critical staffing shortages who receive a positive COVID-19 test result. Note, the existing return-to-work guidelines are not changing at this time for clinical workforce members needed on-site to address critical staffing shortages. 

After notifying their manager or School contact (as applicable), all UConn Health students and workforce members should continue to call the UConn Health COVID-19 Call Center at 860-679-3199 whenever they have symptoms that are associated with COVID, flu, or seasonal allergies, or when they test positive for COVID. The Call Center will guide each individual.

The new guidelines issued for students and workforce members not needed on-site to address critical staffing shortages enable a return to UConn Health after 7 days of isolation rather than 10 if the individual takes a COVID test on Day 7 and returns a negative result. The individual must also be fever-free without medicine for at least 24 hours, and be asymptomatic or have minor symptoms that are improving, to return on Day 8, and must follow heightened COVID protocols at UConn Health through Day 10. Those who do not test on Day 7, continue to test positive on Day 7, or continue to have more than minor symptoms will be required to remain isolating for at least 10 days, and may return to work without testing when symptoms improve.

Updated 10/20/2023

Clinical PPE Guidance

The following guidelines apply to patient care and patient-facing clinical research at UConn Health.

UConn Health issued surgical masks (blue or yellow) are required to be worn during all direct, patient-facing interactions in both outpatient and inpatient settings. This includes when entering a patient room or prolonged, close contact with a patient. Additional masking requirements may be implemented in specific units, clinics or departments by UConn Health and will be communicated with entryway signage.

Full COVID-19 PPE (which includes gown, gloves, eye protection (face shield or protective goggles) and a respirator (N95 or PAPR) is required in the following situations:

  • Providing any care to patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infection
  • Providing care to patients who are being tested for COVID-19 during admission while results are pending
  • Any aerosol generating procedure

Eye protection (face shield or protective goggles) in addition to a mask, is recommended when providing care to or when in close contact (less than 6 feet) with any patient at UConn Health and required when providing care to a patient in the Emergency Department or Urgent Care locations. Protective goggles should fit snugly to the face without gaps.

If additional PPE is needed on any unit/area, please contact your manager to work with our Logistics Management team to request additional PPE. Our clinical leadership and Infection Prevention teams will continue to monitor community-level SARS-CoV-2 transmission closely and will issue further PPE updates as needed.