Vaccines, testing, masks, wellness checks and quarantine/isolation (employee email) - The University of Tulsa
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Vaccines, testing, masks, wellness checks and quarantine/isolation (employee email)

Dear colleagues,

As we prepare to welcome students back to in-person classes and campus life this fall, I write to share some important health and safety updates with you and to stress, again, the importance of vaccination for your own health and the health of others.

Vaccines and incentives

The University of Tulsa continues to offer Moderna and J&J vaccines on campus free of charge. Vaccination is safe and effective at preventing serious illness and death and remains our best defense against COVID-19, including the Delta variant. The Oklahoma State Department of Health reports that only 0.16% of fully vaccinated Oklahomans have contracted COVID-19. For these very rare “breakthrough” cases, vaccination limits the severity of the illness.

To date, 73.9% of our total workforce (and 79.5% of our faculty alone) have reported they are fully vaccinated. Given that we have made substantial progress toward our vaccine incentive goals, I am pleased to announce that we are extending our vaccine incentive program through the end of August.

If you have received your vaccine and not yet notified the university, please email a copy of your vaccine card to vaccine@utulsa.edu to be counted in our campus statistics. If you have not yet received your vaccine, please call the Alexander Health Center (AHC) at 918-631-2241 to make your appointment today.

COVID-19 testing

To ensure a safe return to in-person classes and campus life, TU is requiring all students who have not provided proof of vaccination against COVID-19 to undergo a return-to-campus COVID-19 test and to participate in ongoing prevalence testing during the fall semester whenever prompted to do so. Regular COVID-19 testing is critically important to our ability to keep students and employees safe.

Employees are welcome to participate in this testing initiative as well. Click here to make your surveillance testing appointment.

TU will administer antigen tests with no out-of-pocket expense. These fast and non-invasive tests will be administered in the Alcove Room of the Student Union (second floor, east end), beginning Monday, Aug. 16. Testing appointments will be available Monday to Friday, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Bring your government-issued ID and insurance card to your appointment.

These surveillance tests are intended to detect asymptomatic COVID-19 cases. If you are feeling unwell, please do not test at the Alcove. Instead, call the AHC and schedule a PCR COVID-19 test at the health clinic.

Masks

TU continues to follow guidance from state and local health officials and recommends that all employees wear masks indoors to protect themselves and others. Masks are not required on campus, but employees may require them in areas where physical distancing is not possible (e.g., private offices, office suites, classrooms, conference rooms). Wearing a mask, washing your hands often and using plexiglass barriers significantly reduce the likelihood of viral transmission in situations where physical distancing is not possible.

Daily Wellness Check

In order to keep our campus community safe, we are requiring that all students and employees monitor their health daily and stay home if they feel unwell.

For your convenience, we recommend that all students, faculty and staff download our Daily Wellness Check app and complete a quick health assessment before leaving home each morning. To download the app, follow these instructions:

  1. Click here to view Microsoft Power Apps.
  2. Download Power Apps Mobile for your device type.
  3. Log into the app using your TUNetID@utulsa.edu credentials and select the Daily Wellness Check app.
  4. Turn on push notifications and TU will send you a friendly reminder to assess your health each morning.

Please download and complete this Daily Wellness Check each morning before leaving your residence.

COVID-19 isolation and quarantine

If you are experiencing any symptoms associated with COVID-19, or if you believe you have been exposed to COVID-19, you must promptly report your symptoms/exposure to the AHC and then notify your supervisor that you are unable to come to campus until medically cleared by the AHC. For your reference:

  • If you test positive for COVID-19, you must self-isolate at home and you may not report to work on campus until cleared by the AHC.
  • If you are unvaccinated and experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, you must self-quarantine at home and you may not report to work on campus until cleared by the AHC.
  • If you are unvaccinated and have been exposed to COVID-19, you must self-quarantine at home and you may not report to work on campus until cleared by the AHC.
  • If you are vaccinated and experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, you must self-quarantine at home and may not report to work on campus until cleared by the AHC.
  • If you are vaccinated and have been exposed to COVID-19 but are not experiencing any symptoms, you may report to work on campus, but you must wear a mask and take a COVID-19 test 5 days after exposure. If you start to feel unwell, you must self-quarantine at home and you may not return to work on campus until cleared by the AHC.

If you are able to work remotely during your required quarantine/isolation, you are encouraged to do so.

Thank you for doing everything in your power to ensure our community remains safe. I wish you a successful and healthy fall semester.

Sincerely,
Matt Warren
Vice President for Risk Management and Chief Compliance Officer