COVID-19 clinics for employees and students

Posted on November 13, 2020

Shield Our Spartans graphic

The following University message was sent out to all faculty and staff on Jan. 4, 2021.

Though approval and ongoing distribution of multiple COVID-19 vaccines is encouraging, we need to remain vigilant and cautious as we approach the Spring 2021 semester. Our COVID-19 related processes and protocols for spring will remain largely the same as they were this fall.

Self-Reporting
Employees and students should use the self-report portal to notify the University that you have COVID-19 symptoms, have tested positive for COVID-19, or have been identified as a close contact of someone who has tested positive. University staff will continue to conduct contact tracing, working closely with public health officials.

Quarantine and Isolation Protocols
As communicated prior to the break, Guilford County and NC DHHS have not authorized us to adopt changes to the quarantine and isolation periods. Quarantine remains 14 days and isolation remains a minimum of 10 days from first symptoms or a positive test (if asymptomatic).

Testing
We are fortunate to be able to continue to offer free testing for our students and employees. Please note that testing is for UNCG employees and students ONLY. We can not provide testing for family members at this time. Family members of our employees and others in the community should continue to seek other testing services and resources. Employees and non-residential students will have several opportunities for testing over the next two weeks.

When:
Wednesday, Jan. 13 and Thursday, Jan. 14, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Where: EUC Dail Room
Who: The UNCG clinic is for individuals who:
1) Do not have COVID-19 symptoms (are asymptomatic); and
2) Have not been in close contact recently with someone who has tested positive.

If you have symptoms, please stay home and contact your health care provider to determine if you need to be tested.

Pre-register:
In order to ensure the most efficient process, we strongly recommend you pre-register on Tuesday or Wednesday before arriving. You may be asked to step out of line to register if you have not done so in advance. Note: due to technical limitations, pre-registrations on Monday may not be accessible in the system by Wednesday; please pre-register beginning on Tuesday.

When asked if you will be at a testing site, please select “Yes”.

Additional important details:

  • Participation is completely voluntary.
  • The testing is conducted by an outside vendor, StarMed.
  • A sample will be collected from the nose (nasal swab, not the deeper nasopharyngeal swab) and tested to see if the virus is present (i.e. if you have COVID-19).
  • You will receive your results directly from StarMed.
  • You will be given the opportunity to sign a waiver that allows StarMed to report their results directly to the UNCG Case Management Team.
  • By law, StarMed must report all results to the public health department. Guilford County Public Health, in turn, will inform us if an employee or student tests positive.
  • Information about what to do if you test positive will be provided on-site.
  • Additional information is also available on our UNCG COVID-19 website.
  • General information about COVID-19 testing is also available here.
  • There is no cost for testing. StarMed will file with your insurance for reimbursement. Regardless of whether insurance pays or not, you will not have to pay anything.
  • As a reminder, test results tell you only whether you have the virus at the date and time you get tested, so students and employees are encouraged to take advantage of all opportunities to get tested.

Re-entry Testing
Residential students received notice prior to the break that re-entry testing is required (with a few exceptions) and will be available on campus Jan. 6-14. This is a separate testing effort from that detailed above.

Vaccination Update
We are in close communication with our local public health officials regarding distribution of the vaccine to employees and students. We are awaiting further guidance, working with county officials, and will share any updates we receive as soon as possible.

Individuals who may be in the groups identified by the state for the initial wave (Phase 1A) of vaccination have been or will be directly contacted by North Carolina state health officials. Please continue checking the UNCG COVID-19 website for the latest updates.

Teleworking
Employees should continue to work with their supervisors regarding work schedules and teleworking.

Course Delivery
The distribution of face-to-face, hybrid, and online courses remains much the same this spring as it was this fall. Though we had no evidence of transmission of the virus in a classroom setting, out of caution and to decrease the numbers of students in quarantine, we have reconfigured a number of classrooms to allow for increased distance this semester. Should we receive additional guidance from public health or system officials regarding concerns about holding face-to-face classes, we will let you know immediately.

Shield Our Spartans
Please stay diligent. Wearing a face covering, washing your hands frequently, and waiting 6 feet or more from others continue to be the best way to avoid becoming ill or spreading the virus.

For the most up-to-date information, please monitor your email frequently, regularly visit the UNCG COVID-19 website, follow our @uncg social media channels, and download the UNCG Mobile app from the Google or iTunes app store to receive push notifications directly to your phone.

Thank you.

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