Positive test responsibilities
Do you have a positive test result for COVID-19? Not sure what to do about it? We have some answers.
First, make sure you're following your doctor's orders for staying isolated. Read the Center for Disease Control's (CDC) recommendations for preventing the spread of respiratory viruses. If you're unsure about your status, the CDC's Coronavirus Self-Checker may help.
The University of Baltimore wants to keep our community safe and healthy. The best way to do that is to have a level of awareness about any one—students, faculty or staff—who has tested positive for the virus.
Based on your role on campus, here are your responsibilities:
FOR STUDENTS
- Stay home. Isolate. Don't visit campus.
- Contact the Case Manager for Student and Employee Health (CMSE). The CMSE will help guide impacted students through their options regarding both academic and community supports. Students can contact the CMSE by emailing studenthealth@ubalt.edu.
- Make arrangements with your professors to catch up/keep up with your schoolwork.
- Taking classes exclusively online? If you feel well enough to log in to Sakai, go for it! If not, let your professor know what's going on.
- In consultation with your health care provider, keep testing. Need more test kits? The University has free at-home kits. They're available in the Academic Center, Rooms 112 and 113, at the Campus Pantry in the Student Center, the School of Law Dean’s Suite, and the Office of Human Resources in the Charles Royal Building. Ask a friend or classmate to pick up a few. That way, you'll know when you're ready to return to classes.
FOR EMPLOYEES
- Employees are asked to self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms.
- Employees experiencing symptoms should not come to campus. Employees should contact their supervisor following department protocols for calling out and must notify employeehealth@ubalt.edu. The Office of Human Resources (OHR) will provide guidance to the employee regarding testing, quarantine and/or return to work protocols.
- An employee who tests positive for COVID-19 must notify the University at employeehealth@ubalt.edu. OHR will provide guidance to the employee and communicate with the employee’s department and co-workers as needed based on potential close contact. The employee will also receive instructions from their physician/testing site regarding quarantine.
- An employee who has had close contact (within six feet for more than 15 minutes) with an individual who tested positive must report to employeehealth@ubalt.edu. OHR will provide guidance to the employee and the department as needed.
- Based on Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Baltimore City Health Department guidance, the following guidance is provided when an employee has potential exposure:
- Vaccinated employees should monitor for symptoms but will not be required to stay home. Vaccinated employees are strongly recommended to get tested 3-5 days following the potential exposure as well as continue to wear a mask in public indoor settings for 14 days or until they receive a negative test result.
- Unvaccinated employees should stay home for 10 days from the date of last exposure even if they have no symptoms or have a negative COVID-19 test done during quarantine.
- Employees required to quarantine due to a positive COVID-19 test or potential exposure will be required to use their own leave during the quarantine period. If an employee feels well enough to work, the option for telework may be available if appropriate for the employee’s role. The supervisor and employee will work together to develop a schedule that minimizes impact on the employee during the period of quarantine.
- With the return of in-person classes and the need for in-person services, most employees will need to return to campus for all or part of their work week. Student support units have established consistent hours. Department heads will determine the workforce requirements and communicate with individual employees the required work schedule. Department heads are encouraged to balance the needs of their offices and their employees, to be equitable in determining which employees must come to campus, and to be flexible to the extent possible while still meeting campus needs
- Employees requiring workplace accommodations due to a disability must submit a Request for Reasonable Accommodation to the Office of Human Resources. The accommodation process is interactive and iterative. OHR will work with the employee and the department to determine whether a request can be accommodated or to settle on an approved accommodation. The ability to accommodate a request is dependent upon the individual’s role.
Check out our Frequently Asked Questions for more topics related to COVID-19.