Dear Colleagues:
As you know, weekly COVID-19 testing for all employees on campus became mandatory on Feb. 1, 2021. I would like to thank all faculty and staff who have been complying with these testing procedures. The testing process is critical to keeping our students and employees safe, keeping the virus from spreading, and keeping our campus open. Your efforts truly do make a difference.
Human Resources has been reaching out to employees daily to remind them that everyone on campus is required to participate in weekly testing. The majority of employees have done an excellent job of complying with the testing requirement. Those who have been on campus, but have not been tested should be reminded that unfortunately, disciplinary action will have to be taken in instances where employees who are on campus fail to participate in weekly testing as required. If you are an employee coming to campus, we encourage you to be diligent in avoiding that outcome and protecting the health of our community by making sure you are not falling behind on testing requirements.
Exceptions to the testing mandate are detailed on the college’s COVID-19 Pooled Surveillance Testing webpage, namely:
- Individuals exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 or who have been notified they are a close contact of someone with COVID-19 are required to stay home and therefore should NOT come to campus until cleared by the college’s Health Services office to return, and should not come to campus to be tested, and
- Individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 within the past 90 days should not participate in pooled testing on campus until after the 90 days have passed, and should instead submit proof of their positive test to the college’s Health Services office.
As a reminder, participation in the daily health screening process is still required for all individuals coming to campus, but please only fill out the health screening form on days you are actually on campus. If you fill out the form and do not come to campus, the system notifies Human Resources that you were on campus, but did not participate in testing, which can lead to unnecessary confusion and documentation issues. Please help us avoid this issue by being sure to fill out the form only on days you come to campus.
Thank you once again for your continued efforts to help keep our community healthy. Together, we will continue to slow the spread of the virus and ensure that our students and employees have a safe and successful semester.
Sincerely,
Karen Paquette
Executive Director, Office of Human Resources
(518) 629-4552
HR@hvcc.edu
Published: Mon, 15 Feb 2021 13:15:00 +0000 by k.paquette