• Ask the employee to immediately begin (or continue) working remotely if they are able to do so. If unable to due to symptoms or the nature of their work, they are placed on paid leave.
• Direct the employee to call Employee Health for assessment, instructions and to confirm diagnosis.
• Employee Health will refer the employee for testing and/or instructions to self-isolate.

• If the employee is able to work remotely, he/she should continue to do so pending the test result.
• If the employee is unable to work remotely due to symptoms or the nature of their work, the employee should be placed in a paid leave category (PHEL - Public Health Emergency Leave) pending the outcome of the test.

Yes.  Once Employee Health performs an assessment, which may include referring an employee for testing, a notification below will be sent from Employee Health to the employee and their supervisor.

Yes.  If test results are negative the employee is cleared to physically return to work if they work on Grounds. Their manager and the employee will be notified by Employee Health.

Yes.  Employee Health will send a secure email notifying the following parties of a positive case which includes identifying information (name of the employee):

1. Employee (UVA email address)
2. Supervisor (UVA email address)
3. Human Resources
4. Emergency Management

The notification from Employee Health will include instructions and a notification template to use for notifying the affected employee's coworkers of the positive case without disclosing the name of the employee.

1. Please keep in mind that this is a stressful time for not only the affected employee but for their coworkers as well. Please show compassion and support, and feel free to direct team members to FEAP as appropriate.

Co-worker notification is required by law not only to provide information to individuals in the workplace of a positive case, but also to provide transparency and to allow for appropriate action that may be required. 

Please exercise discretion to allow employee(s) to work remotely, if possible, to help alleviate employee concerns.  In addition, please reference What to do if Someone Around Me Tests Positive for COVID-19 handout.

“Co-worker notification” is not the same as contact tracing. The Virginia Department of Public Health is responsible for contact tracing, which involves connecting with individuals who may have come in close contact with a confirmed positive case. Co-worker notification operates very differently.  Managers and supervisors should not contact individuals to determine whether they came in contact with someone with a positive diagnose.  And in all cases, managers must maintain the confidentiality of the identity of the infected individual.

As a manager or supervisor, you are likely in the best position to have a sense of who was and was not in close physical contact with an employee who tests positive. If you are unsure of the status of whether an employee(s) should be included in the notification, we recommend erring on the side of caution and including the employee(s) in the distribution of the message.   While individuals who are working remotely all the time likely do not need to know of a confirmed positive case since they are not likely to have been exposed, being broad and inclusive in the not

Managers and supervisors should not contact individuals to determine whether they came in contact with someone with a positive diagnose.  And in all cases, managers must maintain the confidentiality of the identity of the infected individual. “Co-worker notification” is not the same as contact tracing. The Virginia Department of Public Health is responsible for contact tracing, which involves connecting with individuals who may have come in close contact with a confirmed positive case. Co-worker notification operates very differently.

To avoid the risk of sharing inaccurate information, we recommend waiting for the official secure email notification from Employee Health before sending a co-worker notification.  If you have not received the secure email notification, please check your spam folder or contact Employee Health.

Within Arts & Sciences, we will provide a list of email addresses by Wednesday, September 9 that can be used to send the co-worker notification to those assigned to specific buildings.  These distribution lists will enable you to send a broad notification and facilitate transparency.  Sending notifications are likely cause employee concerns about whether they were exposed to the positive co-worker. We recommend using your discretion and consider this guidance when sending the co-worker notification and using the building email distribution lists.

As a manager or supervisor, you are likely in the best position to have a sense of who was and was not in close physical contact with an employee who tests positive.  While we recommend erring on the side of caution and including the employee(s) in the distribution of the message, if you have a clearer sense of those who need to receive a notification, you are welcome to send the co-worker notification to a more localized group of individuals.

No.  If the faculty or staff member has been working remotely and not been on Grounds, a co-worker notification is not necessary.

UVA HR is ready to support managers and employees through this process, please reach out to askhr@virginia.edu for assistance. The HR Benefits, Leave and Payroll (BLP) team will reach out directly to the supervisor and employee to coordinate the appropriate leave options consistent with established standard operating procedures.

Emergency Management will coordinate appropriate facility cleaning with Facilities Management upon receipt of the notification. Additional follow up may be required with you to confirm the employee’s physical work location(s) and areas that require cleaning.

Prior to returning to physically returning to work, the employee is required to obtain clearance from Employee Health. Upon receiving clearance, Employee Health will send the following notice to the employee and supervisor.

The Health Department will begin contact tracing within the next 24-48 hours and will contact you directly if they feel that you might have been exposed.

Yes.  Graduate student instructor case management will follow the same process as outlined on the Responding to Suspected COVID-19 Cases for Faulty and Staff page.

It is important to establish clear expectations that align with the University’s public health measures; the easiest way is by adding them to your syllabus. Here are some ideas and options should someone refuse to comply with University policy:

We encourage you to limit in person meetings, meeting virtually when practical. In-person meetings may be scheduled outdoors, or in conference rooms. You may meet with students in your office. However, your office will need to be arranged to allow six feet social distancing, all attendees should wear face coverings while meeting, you should wear a face covering if in your office during the three hours prior to any meetings, and you should wipe shared surfaces with sanitizer prior to meeting.

Revised August 24

It is important to establish clear expectations that align with the University’s public health measures; the easiest way is by adding them to your syllabus. Here are some ideas and options should someone refuse to comply with University policy:

A&S already offers many courses through the evening hours and any instructor may, when scheduling their courses, select a time in the evening. The University has decided not to pursue weekend courses at this time.

Faculty have several options if their internet connectivity at home is a concern. First, you should feel free to teach from your office on Grounds. Second, you can request a small classroom in which to conduct your online teaching. Finally, you may request a hotspot to improve connectivity at your home.

REQUEST HOTSPOT

Per Dean Baucom's email to all faculty on July 8, please see details for the Fall 2020 semester academic calendar below.

No. As President Ryan’s message indicated, in addition to our standard process for ADA accommodations, all faculty will be able to request that they not teach in person.  It is my intention that we will grant all such requests. I also wish to be clear that a request not to teach in person will have no impact on any evaluation, renewal, or promotion decision. We will share more information about the in-person teaching exemption request process within the next two weeks.

Once social distancing measures are put into place, many of our classrooms will be too small to use for regular classes. We are developing a process to allow instructors to reserve these rooms (as you would a conference room) for occasional meetings with students, office hours, independent studies, and other similar activities.

At this time, there no plans to change class times.  However, the volume of classes delivered online will reduce foot traffic during class transitions. 

There are several resources available through Student Financial Services for current undergraduate, graduate and professional students needing support for travel, technology, food, medication, and other living expenses.

There are some excellent suggestions and a useful webinar recording on the Teaching Continuity website’s Assessment page.

Student Disability Access Center (SDAC) handles all student accommodations, including captioning, and will reach out to the instructor directly. If it is requested by a student, ask them to reach out to SDAC.

Faculty should submit requests for workplace accommodations via the Office of Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights.  More information is also available on the UVA HR Return to Grounds website, under “Remote Work and Leave Considerations”.

Yes. 

FACIAL COVERING POLICY SEC-045

Classrooms will have disinfecting stations. Each station will include a spray bottle of disinfectant and multifold paper towels in a plastic container. The stations will be placed around each classroom to promote social distancing. Only rooms used for instruction will receive the centrally funded disinfecting stations. The custodial team responsible for each building will fill and service these stations.  Bottles will be refilled/replaced and multifold towels replenished as needed. 

Revised August 24

Each classroom will be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected every evening. In addition, there will be cleaning wipes available in each classroom. Please clean your workspace before and after you use it, and ask your students to do the same.

No. While it is our intention to keep the current schedule (days and times) intact, all in-person courses will be assigned to new classrooms based on their new capacities incorporating social distancing measures.

Updated August 13, 2020

Online Courses 

Online courses cannot have class in person and cannot hold class outdoors. They can host occasional in person meetings, office hours, etc, but cannot require attendance and must offer an alternative for remote students.  

In Person Courses 

Mobile hotspots are available for faculty or staff.  Please click on the link below to submit information for a mobile hotspot.

A&S HOTSPOT REQUEST FORM

A&S Learning Design & Technology is developing resources for creating content for your online course, which will be available soon on our website. You can also access information about A&S media studios and sign up for a time to use one of them if you are interested.

A&S Learning Design & Technology has a limited supply of hardware that they can loan for the purpose of facilitating online teaching.

HARDWARE REQUEST

The COVID-19 Supplies Purchasing Guide (posted on the Procurement site) provides an overview of the cleaning items that will be purchased by the university and items to be purchased by schools or departments

As a reminder, the university will purchase and install hand sanitizer stations.

Within Arts & Sciences, we recommend the following.  Please check back in for updates to this information.

Revised July 6, 2020

Cloth face coverings will be distributed in mid/late July.  Department Managers will determine how to best distribute cloth face coverings to faculty and staff. 

If a student tells you that they are feeling ill:

Please ask them to stay home and contact Student Health, [434-924-5362; 434-297-4261 After Hours]. If they hesitate, kindly remind than that they agreed to do so in the social contract that they signed.

If a student tells you that they have to quarantine:

• If at any point you begin to feel ill, please call Employee Health [434-924-2013] immediately. If you are home, do not come on Grounds; if you are on Grounds, please return home.

We do not recommend requiring students to show their app before entering the lab.  This will be considered a privacy violation.  However, reminding students to complete their daily attestation via the Hoos Health check app prior to entering the lab is appropriate.

Yes.

No, faculty and students will be asked to use the Hoos Health Check app/website.  It will be inappropriate for any faculty member to require or request that students check their temperature with a thermometer before entering a classroom.

Yes, all students, faculty, and staff must complete a wellness attestation every day before coming to Grounds. The attestation procedure and app will be released in coming weeks. 

You can reach Employee Health via telephone (434-924-2013) or email (employeehealth@virginia.edu)

HOOS HEALTH CHECK FORM

Please review this document: What To Do If Someone Around Me Tests Positive for COVID-19

 It will not be appropriate to send mass emails or messages communicating positive results to departments.

Contact tracing will be conducted by the Virginia Department of Health.

Revised August 10

The HOOS Health Check app is now available in the Apple and Google Play stores. This easy-to-use tool will help members of the UVA community remain aware of their health and identify any possible COVID symptoms before they come to Grounds. HOOS Health Check will replace daily health attestations that UVA Health team members, researchers, and some other groups on Grounds have used this summer. 

• If you are able to work remotely, you should continue to do so pending the test result.
• If the you are unable to work remotely due to symptoms or the nature of your work, you should look into a paid leave category (PHEL - Public Health Emergency Leave) pending the outcome of the test.

Yes.  If test results are negative you will be cleared to physically return to work (if you work on Grounds). You and your manager will be notified by Employee Health.

Yes.  Employee Health will send a secure email notifying the following parties of a positive case which includes identifying information (name of the employee):

While you are free to share your own test results, your manager or supervisor will be informed not to include your name in any communication.

UVA HR is ready to support managers and employees through this process, please reach out to askhr@virginia.edu for assistance. The HR Benefits, Leave and Payroll (BLP) team will reach out directly to the supervisor and employee to coordinate the appropriate leave options consistent with established standard operating procedures.

Prior to returning to physically returning to work, you are required to obtain clearance from Employee Health. Upon receiving clearance, Employee Health will send the following notice to you and your supervisor.

The Health Department will begin contact tracing within the next 24-48 hours and will contact you directly if they feel that you might have been exposed.

HR has created a helpful infographic on how to approach individuals not wearing masks and the Provost's office has developed some scripts you can use to engage students and colleagues.

If an individual is a repeat offender or engages in egregious behavior, please report them using the Just Report It system.

UVA has launched two different portals for reports of concerns regarding compliance with the University’s rules and norms to prevent the spread of the virus. In an effort to be a responsible neighbor to the larger Charlottesville community, the University has developed a new reporting portal.

The university policy department responds to criminal activity and will not be involved in compliance.  If repeated violation of facial covering or social distancing policy results in a no trespass order, the university policy department support managing that order.

Please see the P&T website for up to the moment information on parking and transportation options.