SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 Health and Safety Guidelines for Return to Campus

Return to Campus Guidelines for Prevention and Management of SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19
for the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine
Originally Posted: August 6, 2020
Updated: August 24, 2020

As many students and employees return to campus, the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine has prepared guidelines to facilitate a safe transition for students and employees to aid in prevention and management of SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19. The Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine will act in accordance with Auburn University and Auburn University Medical Clinic policies, directives and guidelines to address potential or confirmed case of SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 disease in employees, students and guests on the CVM campus. This guidance is provided by the Office of the Dean with contributions from the CVM Executive Committee and the CVM Infection Control Committee, and will be updated as needed.

Auburn Vet Med SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 guidelines are not inclusive or exhaustive, and are subject to change according to changes in conditions and/or directives from Auburn University and/or the State of Alabama. Return to this page for the most current information regarding SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 guidelines related to Auburn Vet Med. For up-to-date comprehensive information regarding COVID-19 and Auburn University visit https://ahealthieru.auburn.edu/.

Important contact information, additional resources and definitions for several terms are provided below. Contact your supervisor or appropriate response coordinator for answers or guidance. CVM community members are advised to contact the AUMC or EAMC with any questions or concerns about their personal health. All personal health information is treated as confidential by all parties.

Possible COVID-19 Symptoms
Cough
Shortness of breath/difficulty breathing
Fever (≥100.4^oF)
Fatigue
Congestion
Runny nose
Muscle or body aches
Headache
Sore throat
New loss of taste or smell
Nausea or vomiting
Diarrhea

GUIDELINES FOR MEMBERS OF CVM COMMUNITY

1. All CVM community members must self-monitor for any COVID-19 symptoms before, during and after reporting to campus.
2. All members of the CVM community (employees and students working/attending classes both on- and off-campus) are required to complete daily Healthcheck monitoring beginning no later than August 10, 2020. Login to AU Access and click the Employees or Students folder (as applicable), then the GuideSafe icon.
3. Possible exposures, the presence of symptoms and positive COVID-19 test results must be reported to the appropriate response coordinator, your supervisor and the Auburn University Medical Clinic immediately.
4. DO NOT come to campus is you are exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms, have experienced a close credible contact or have tested positive.
5. If symptoms present while on campus, leave campus immediately, then contact your supervisor and appropriate response coordinator so that necessary decontamination steps can be taken to protect others.
6. A symptomatic person (see Symptoms above) who is not tested for COVID-19 must self-isolate for 14 days.
7. Medical services to CVM community members may be provided by Auburn University Medical Clinic, East Alabama Medical Center or another medical provider, preferably in this order when/if the previous is not available.
8. Affected CVM community members must not return to school or work until directed by AUMC or their licensed health care provider. The response coordinator must be informed by the health care provider of the designated return date to facilitate re-assumption of responsibilities and management of responsibilities of other impacted persons prior to return. Provision of this information is the responsibility of the affected person.
9. CVM community members being tested who have had no known exposure and have no symptomsmay continue to work normally while awaiting test results. If test results are negative, he/she may continue to work as usual. If test results are positive, he/she must not report to campus and must contact the designated response coordinator immediately.
10. Cloth face covers or medical/surgical masks are required for all CVM community members while on campus in accordance with the Auburn University’s current mandate and the Alabama statewide mask order.
11. Physical distancing is the most effective way to prevent transmission of COVID-19. Stay home as much as possible and, when necessary to go out, practice physical distancing from anyone outside of your established household group. Do not interact closely with individuals outside of the established household group unless following strict biosafety guidelines.
12. Hand washing and sanitation are critical to reducing the spread of the virus. Hands should be washed with soap using 20 seconds of friction or sanitized using alcohol-based hand rub frequently, especially after contacting high-touch surfaces.
13. When on the AUCVM campus, take the shortest interior path to your class, meeting room and/or work area, and avoid direct hand contact with high contact surfaces when possible (i.e., door handles, counter tops, handrails, etc.)
14. Each class is assigned restroom facilities in the Veterinary Education Center and required to access only the designated facility for his/her class year.
15. Routine cleaning and disinfection of individual work areas is the responsibility of CVM community members and should be practiced frequently with an emphasis on high-touch surfaces.
16. Check body temperature at least once per day and watch for symptoms. If possible, stay away from people who are at higher risk for increased complications from COVID-19.
17. All CVM community members should avoid close interactions with others outside of their household, large crowds and other high-risk activities while outside of work. When such interactions are absolutely necessary, follow recommended COVID-19 preventive measures.
18. Decontamination procedures will be followed in all potentially contaminated areas. The response coordinator will alert the appropriate parties to clean/disinfect the area(s). Department heads and/or unit directors will be notified when the decontamination procedure is completed.

RESPONSE COORDINATORS (assigned according to CVM community member classification; subject to change)

DVM students
Dr. Brandi Brunson: brunsbl@auburn.edu

Graduate students
Amelia Pendleton: hangame@auburn.edu
Refer to Graduate School 

All non-graduate and non-DVM student members of the CVM community
Cathy Antee (cma0057@auburn.edu)
Nichole Diehl (nsd0011@auburn.edu)

IMPORTANT CONTACTS

Auburn University Medical Clinic: (334) 844-9825, https://cws.auburn.edu/aumc/pm/COVID-19

East Alabama Medical Center COVID Hotline: (334) 528-7425

Dr. Brandi Brunson: 334-740-5583 (Student Emergency Line), 334-844-0726 (Greene Hall Office Line), brunsbl@auburn.edu

Amelia Pendleton: (334) 844-3700; hangame@auburn.edu

Cathy Antee: (334) 740-0657, cma0057@auburn.edu

Nichole Diehl: (334) 734-2085, nsd0011@auburn.edu

RESOURCES

Provost’s Office COVID-19 resources

Graduate School COVID-19 guidelines

COVID-19 Guidelines for the AUCVM Community

Policy on Student Travel during the COVID-19 Pandemic  (rev 8/20/2020)

Quick Guide to the Fall 2020 Semester (rev 8/14/2020)

AUCVM Task Force on Instructional Planning for Fall 2020

COVID-19 Related Considerations for Course Syllabus

DEFINITIONS

Contact Tracing is a process to identify individuals that may have been exposed to a person who has tested positive with COVID-19 or a person who is presumptive positive based on symptoms. Personal health information is confidential and the name of the person related to the potential exposure will not be identified. All faculty, staff, graduate students, and veterinary students testing positive for COVID-19 will be asked to provide a daily log of Credible Close Contacts (defined below) to facilitate contact tracing. A smart phone app that facilitates contact tracing though Bluetooth signaling is in final stages of testing and should be available for use by the CVM community in the near future. Until then, manual recording of Credible Close Contacts is advised.

Credible Close Contact is an interaction lasting for a period of at least 15 minutes or more in a proximity of 6 feet or less within an enclosed environment starting from 48 hours before the person began feeling sick until the time they were isolated from others. The consistent wearing of face covers is a significant inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2 transmission during Credible Close Contact. Consistent wearing of face covers reduces the likelihood of transmission in such situations. CDC guidance on close contact should be reviewed.

CVM community includes, but is not limited to, all employees of the CVM (faculty, staff, GTA (including residents), GRA, interns, TES, undergraduate student workers), students, and other AU employees assigned to work at the CVM. Contracted employees are not considered CVM community members, but will adhere to their employers’ protocols as approved by AU.

Decontamination is a careful cleaning and disinfection of high-touch and general surfaces in areas where sick or exposed individuals were present. If possible, the room where known or suspected infected individuals were present should remain empty for one hour to allow for air exchange. Generally, the room/area would be wiped down with a disinfectant and closed for the appropriate contact time as indicated by the manufacturer instructions. Depending on the size and contents of the room, it may be possible to treat the room/area with a disinfectant vapor. Currently, the teaching hospital will use the

HALO system (hydrogen peroxide vapor as a mechanism for additional disinfection). For all other CVM locations, ABM will use an electrostatic spray (VIREX II-256) as a method for additional disinfection.

Exposure is a recent Credible Close Contact with a person who is presumptive-positive based on symptoms or has tested positive for COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2.

Healthcheck is the official AU health monitoring survey, administered through the GuideSafe platform. Completing of Healthcheck is required to be completed daily by students, staff and faculty no later than August 10, 2020. To access, login to AU Access and view the Employees or Students folder (as applicable to the CVM community member) to find the GuideSafe icon. Healthcheck is monitored and maintained centrally by AU. Daily completion of Healthcheck is a best practice for individual preventive care and the college’s general health. Please note that the AU CVM has developed its own daily health assessment program for clinical trainees through a Qualtrics Survey. This will be gradually phased out in favor of the AU GuideSafe Healthcheck. Those individuals receiving daily reminders for the Qualtrics survey should continue responding until the reminders end.

Response coordinators are designated points of contact for CVM community members with possible, presumptive or diagnosed infection. Typically, the Alabama Department of Public Health is responsible for contact tracing. Due to the high volume of COVID-19 cases, AUMC is expediting the contact tracing process for AU employees and students who are tested at the AUMC. The CVM, under guidance from AUMC, is assisting with the internal CVM contact tracing process in full cooperation with the CVM community member. Every effort is made to alert close contacts as rapidly and sensitively as possible while taking measures to protect CVM community member’s confidentiality. [The response coordinators do not deliver medical advice; however, they oversee the consistent application of return-to-work status as recommended by AUMC.] Response coordinators facilitate management of COVID-19 cases and potential exposures in the college and facilitate the return of CVM community members back into the college, as directed by a licensed health care provider.

Second Generation Exposure is a person’s recent contact with an individual who is not confirmed to have COVID-19, but who has recently had close contact with an individual diagnosed with COVID-19.

Symptoms of COVID-19 may include cough, shortness of breath/difficulty breathing, fever, congestion runny nose, chills, muscle pain or body aches, headache, sore throat, new loss of taste or smell, myalgia, fatigue, nausea or vomiting and/or diarrhea.