We have had reports that COVID-positive students are leaving isolation and going to class and the cafeteria. We urge you to do your part to protect our community and follow our Community Health Standards, which include staying home when you are sick, reporting positive cases and using hand sanitizer/handwashing frequently.

As in the past, students who have symptoms must call Student Health Services at 336-770-3288, must not attend class, and must make an appointment to get tested at Health Services or at another health provider, or take an at-home rapid antigen test. 

Students who have tested positive and violate their mandatory isolation will be reported to Student Conduct. 

To remind you:

• If you test positive for COVID-19, you must isolate for five days. High school students must isolate at their permanent residence. We also encourage undergraduate and graduate students who are able to isolate at their permanent or local residence if possible.
• If you have been told by a health care provider or public health authority that you were exposed, you do not need to quarantine but you must wear a mask for 10 days from the day of exposure, monitor for symptoms, and test for COVID-19 on Day Six (at least five full days from your exposure). These steps should be taken regardless of your vaccination status or if you have had a previous infection.
• Students should report any positive COVID-19 test results (from either at-home rapid antigen tests or lab-confirmed PCR tests) to Student Health Services at 336-770-3288 and via the COVID-19 Reporting Hub (the online portal).
• Employees should report only positive test results (from either at-home rapid antigen tests or lab-confirmed PCR tests) to the university via the COVID-19 Reporting Hub.

Forsyth County remains on the CDC’s list of high community spread for the seventh consecutive week. The current dominant Omicron subvariants, BA.4 and BA.5, have proven to be more contagious than previous versions.

You should also be diligent in regard to monkeypox, which has been identified in Forsyth County.

Note: This has been updated since it was sent to clarify a person is told by a healthcare provider or public health authority that they were exposed to someone with COVID-19 and that high school students who test positive must isolate at home.

As you may have read in the news, the CDC recently issued streamlined COVID-19 guidance, eliminating the recommendation to quarantine due to exposure whether vaccinated or unvaccinated. UNCSA has revised its protocols in line with the new guidance. We will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation locally and will communicate updates to our safety protocols as needed. 

Our updated protocols for fall are:

• Tests and vaccinations are NOT required for campus reentry.
• Masking is optional.
• Symptomatic testing will be available for students through Student Health Services; there will be no surveillance testing.
• If you test positive for COVID-19, you must isolate for five days. High School students must isolate at home. We encourage college and graduate students who are able to isolate at their home/permanent residence.
• NEW: If you have been told by a health care provider or public health authority that you were exposed to someone with COVID-19, you do not need to quarantine but should wear a mask for 10 days from the last day of exposure, monitor for symptoms, and test for COVID-19 on day six (at least five full days from your exposure). These steps should be taken regardless of your vaccination status or if you have had a previous infection.
• Students should report any positive COVID-19 test results (from either at-home rapid antigen tests or lab-confirmed PCR tests) to Student Health Services at 336-770-3288 and via the online portal, the COVID-19 Reporting Hub.
• Employees should report positive test results only (from either at-home rapid antigen tests or lab-confirmed PCR tests) to the university via the COVID-19 Reporting Hub.
• Everyone on campus is expected to adhere to our Community Health Standards, which include frequent handwashing/using hand sanitizer, staying home when you are sick, and reporting positive cases.

While the pandemic is not over and new variants continue to emerge, we find ourselves in a much better position to manage COVID-19 than in the earlier stages of the pandemic. Consequently, we are planning for a more normal academic year because of the tools now in place — vaccines, boosters and antiviral treatments — to prevent people from getting seriously ill. We will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation locally and will communicate any updates to our safety protocols as needed. 

Currently, our safety protocols for fall are:

• Tests and vaccinations are NOT required for campus reentry.
• Masking is optional.
• Symptomatic testing will be available for students through Student Health Services; there will be no surveillance testing.
• If you test positive for COVID-19, you must isolate for 5 days. If you are identified through contact tracing as having been exposed to someone with COVID-19, and are unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated, you must quarantine for 5 days.
• Students should report any positive COVID-19 test results (from either at-home rapid antigen tests or lab-confirmed PCR tests) to Student Health Services at 336-770-3288 and via the online portal, the COVID-19 Reporting Hub.
• Employees should report only positive test results only (from either at-home rapid antigen tests or lab-confirmed PCR tests) to the university via the COVID-19 Reporting Hub.
• You should adhere to our Community Health Standards, which include frequent handwashing/using hand sanitizer, staying home when you are sick, and reporting positive cases and exposures.

UNCSA will not maintain a dashboard — a practice consistent with other universities at this stage of the pandemic. You may find information about local virus spread on the dashboards maintained by the Forsyth County (N.C.) Department of Public Health and the N.C. Department of Health and Human Resources. The CDC assigns a community risk level for every county to indicate the county’s risk of illness and strain on the health care system. 

The CDC reports that it is important to continue to take action to protect yourself and others, particularly those who are immunosuppressed or are at higher risk of serious illness from COVID-19 by:

• Getting vaccinated and boosted as eligible, even if you have already been infected.
• Voluntarily wearing masks in crowded indoor spaces, particularly in high community risk areas.
• Staying home and getting tested if you are sick.
• Seeking out therapeutics if you test positive and are more likely to get very sick.

Thank you for following our COVID-19 protocols. We appreciate your commitment to keeping your friends and colleagues safe as we begin the academic year.