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COVID-19 campus updates: Oct. 1 edition

Through the fall semester, campus officials are providing weekly updates, including dashboard stats and items of note on positive cases, isolation, contact tracing, mitigation measures and more. 

Updates on the latest Â鶹ӰԺ County Public Health Order

  • Â鶹ӰԺ County Public Health amended their recent public health order and updated their FAQs. on their website.
  • The amended order allows individuals 18 to 22 years of age in the city of Â鶹ӰԺ to gather with one other person. Public Health made this change in response to safety concerns from the community regarding the previous requirement that individuals do not gather even with one person.
  • The public health order is currently in effect until Thursday, Oct. 8, at noon. In coordination with the state, Â鶹ӰԺ County Public Health will be evaluating the county’s progress in reducing cases to determine next steps after the current order expires.

Temporary remote course instruction

  • As a reminder, a temporary period of fully remote course instruction began Wednesday, Sept. 23. This period of fully remote instruction will continue until at least Thursday, Oct. 8. The timeline was extended by one day in response to the public health order in effect until at least Oct. 8.
    • Most undergraduate, graduate and law classes are being taught remotely. 
    • Labs, studio and performance classes are remote, unless approved for an on-campus format by the appropriate college or school dean. 
    • Staff currently assigned to work on campus will continue to work on campus. 
    • On-campus research will continue and is not affected by this shift. 
  • CU Â鶹ӰԺ will consult with Â鶹ӰԺ County Public Health as they assess the progress being made on reducing the number of positive COVID-19 cases in Â鶹ӰԺ County. This assessment will be used to determine if the temporary period of fully remote instruction needs to be extended or can conclude after Oct. 8.

Isolation space

  • As of the morning of Thursday, Oct. 1, the university had 131 beds in use of the 623 beds available for on-campus residents in need of isolation space. The majority of reserved isolation spaces are on campus. 
  • Some of the isolation spaces continue to be double occupancy.
  • The campus is adding additional staffing to address safety and security needs in the residence halls used for isolation space.

COVID-19-ready dashboard

  • To best meet community needs, the university will continue to review the COVID-19-ready dashboard design for potential changes to what is provided and how the information is presented.
  • Information was added to the Â鶹ӰԺ County Public Health website that for the CU dashboard, the county dashboard and the state dashboard.

Testing sites off campus

  • Â鶹ӰԺ County Public Health opened who would like to be tested. The walk-up site will be open through 3 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 2, and the drive-up site will be available until at least Oct. 9.
  • Residents do not have to have symptoms to be tested.

Community briefings

  • University leaders joined with the Â鶹ӰԺ County Health Department and the City of Â鶹ӰԺ for two recent public sessions: and the . 

Screening tests

  • Beginning Monday, Oct. 5, all on-campus monitoring testing sites will change locations so equipment can be moved indoors in preparation for inclement fall weather and to improve setup efficiency at each site. Sample donations will still be collected outside as a safety protocol. The last day for current monitoring locations will be Friday, Oct. 2. 
    • Residence hall students and employees already required to participate in monitoring due to their job duties should schedule appointments for, and visit, one of the four new sites beginning Monday, Oct. 5:
  • Also beginning Monday, Oct. 5, the on-campus monitoring testing program is being expanded and offered on a walk-up basis to any CU Â鶹ӰԺ student living off campus, as well as any faculty or staff member not already required to participate in monitoring based on the nature of their job duties. 
    • This testing is available at two sites: 
      • University Memorial Center (North side near fountain court).
        • Walk-up site primarily for off-campus students, as well as staff and faculty not already required to do weekly monitoring.
        • 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday through Friday (max 450 tests per day, first-come, first-served).
      • ​â¶Ä‹SEEC (South entrance at breezeway between SEEC and SEEL).
        • Walk-up site primarily for off-campus students, as well as staff and faculty not already required to do weekly monitoring. 
        • 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday through Friday (max 150 tests per day, first-come, first-served).​
    • Those seeking testing must bring their Buff OneCard and first complete the Daily Health Questionnaire.
    • There will be capacity for up to 600 walk-up tests per day. The sites will close for the day when capacity is reached. Walk-up demand for the UMC and SEEC sites will be monitored closely to evaluate whether capacity needs to increase.
    • Those seeking testing at these sites should note that this is a monitoring/surveillance test, not a diagnostic test.
      • For anyone who gets tested at one of our monitoring sites, they will receive notification only if their tests are positive, at which point they will be referred to the Public Health Clinic at Wardenburg or their medical provider for a diagnostic test.
      • Those who need documentation of a negative test for work or other requirements should seek out diagnostic testing with their medical provider or utilize the state’s . The state sites are free and can be utilized by anyone in the community. The walk-up site will be open through 3 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 2. The drive-up site will be open through at least Oct. 9. 
      • Students, faculty and staff who are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 should not visit the on-campus monitoring site and should instead contact their medical provider or visit the community walkup or drive-up sites noted above.
  • As of Wednesday, Sept. 30, the campus has performed 27,605 monitoring tests, with a total of 1,010 referrals for diagnostic testing.

Contact tracing

  • The campus contact tracing team works during the week and on weekends to follow up on positive cases and complete outreach to people who may have been in close contact with an infected individual.
  • For most individuals contacted by the contact tracing team, immediate testing is not recommended when the person contacted is asymptomatic and does not meet the criteria for having been exposed. For asymptomatic individuals identified as exposed to an infected person, the recommendation is to complete a COVID-19 test seven days after the known exposure. This delay represents the time it takes a potential infection to become detectable.

Enforcement

  • The COVID-19-ready dashboard displays information regarding students who have been, or are currently, under investigation based on reports of public health order violations. The data is updated once per week. 
  • As of Wednesday, Sept. 30:
    • 260 students have received .
    • 28 students are on an active interim exclusion from campus, pending the adjudication of a conduct hearing.
    • 40 students have received the disciplinary status of probation.
    • 13 students are on an active interim suspension, pending the adjudication of a conduct hearing.

Whom to contact:

  • For campus technology issues or concerns, call the Office of Information Technology at 303-735-4357 (5-HELP).
  • For health questions, contact your health care provider or Medical Services at 303-492-5101 (24/7 nurse line available for students) for advice and recommendations.
  • For mental health questions or concerns, call Counseling and Psychiatric Services at 303-492-2277 (24/7 support available for students).
  • For faculty and staff, call the Faculty and Staff Assistance Program at 303-492-3020.
  • For families, New Student & Family Programs will be happy to assist you. Call or text 303-492-4431 or email families@colorado.edu
  • For employment and payroll questions, call Human Resources at 303-492-6475.
  • Have additional questions about how COVID-19 affects your studies or work with CU Â鶹ӰԺ? Use LiveChat at , call the central hotline at 303-492-8478, or submit your question via the ask a question form.
  • For students who need assistance or who may be in crisis, please contact Students of Concern at 303-492-7348, SSCM@colorado.edu, or visit /studentaffairs/students-concern/students-concern-team.