Happy Friday

It’s the first Friday of the semester and your Deacs are no doubt looking forward to the weekend. Our students got their copy of Your Corona Chronicle yesterday; read it here. We also got a glimpse of the Deacon at Fireside on Manchester; watch the video and/or you can see some pictures below.

Since we have a large swath of students who were tested this week (and might be getting results through the weekend), the Call Center is opening up this weekend from 10 am-2 pm Eastern both Saturday and Sunday (336.758.7500). There is also our new Quarantine and Isolation website, which has lots of information as well.

Students will be able to see their asymptomatic test results in their Bioreference Portal (they must sign in with their WFU email). Anyone who tests positive will get a call from the University Contact Tracing Team during normal business hours to review how and where to isolate, resources for support during isolation, for contact tracing (i.e., to determine others who may have been in contact with them during the time they were contagious), and to connect students who develop symptoms significant enough to require medical attention. But what do they do if they log in at 11 pm tonight and find that they have a positive result?

Until students receive a call from the University Contact Tracing Team, those with positive tests should follow CDC recommendations for isolation. Stay in their room/home and away from others and wear a mask.

Students do not need to notify the University or the Student Health Service of a positive result from asymptomatic testing unless they need medical guidance.* Please note that appointments in the Student Health Service are not required for those with a positive test or symptoms.

* Students who need medical advice on how to care for symptoms (if they develop) can call the Student Health Service during normal business hours for guidance or to schedule an appointment. A nurse advice line is available after hours for students who need urgent medical advice by calling the Student Health Service. Note: appointments cannot be made on the after hours line. 

Students can consult the Quarantine and Isolation page for information on what to pack for the hotel and can begin assembling their things in their room, review hotel logistics and expectations, etc.

In related news, a reminder that we are doing weekly asymptomatic testing on a much larger group of undergraduate students during this semester than we did in the fall. Students should anticipate being tested multiple times this semester; two or more weeks in a row is entirely possible, and if there are concerns about potential cases in a particular group (whether a residence hall, student organization, group of houses off campus, etc.) students could be asked to test as part of a targeted group. Students who were positive within the last 90 days are not tested (if selected, they can submit a form to reschedule), but if you had it more than 90 days ago, you can be called for testing. All that by way of saying if your Deac was tested this week and was just asked to test again, that is normal. Our robust asymptomatic testing strategy was critical to keeping us open in the fall, and we will continue to lean in to robust testing this spring.

Since students have been gone for so long, we have had some questions about “do I have to wear a mask when I am doing X or Y or in this particular place?” Here is a quick recap:

If indoors, wear a mask. The exceptions would be in your residence hall room (alone) or if you are showering or eating. You are expected to wear a mask when leaving your room and when in any campus building.

If outdoors, wear a mask if you are in a group of people and/or cannot maintain six feet of distance between you and the next person. Pro tip: much of the time when you are just walking around campus, you might not know when you are going to run into other people and want to talk to them, so it is highly recommended to wear your mask when walking around campus.

If outdoors and you are in a group activity that involves elevated breathing (e.g., Spikeball, soccer, etc.), both masks and 10 feet of distance are required.

Whether indoors or outdoors, always maintain six feet of distance between you and another person.

The simplest rule to go by is to wear a mask all the time. In this global pandemic, wearing a mask is a necessity. As is maintaining six feet of distance from other people, both outdoors and indoors (and washing your hands frequently, covering coughs and sneezes, and using SneezSafe every day). I know those rules are not necessarily fun, but they are our best bet for keeping campus safe and well.

We have said in many a Daily Deac that Fridays have been shown to be the ideal time to call your students and talk to them, and that hearing from family and loved ones tends to have a protective factor in reducing risky behavior that weekend. So take some time this afternoon or early evening and call your Deacs. We are grateful for your partnership in helping reinforce public health guidance.

Stay safe and well, Daily Deacdom!

— by Betsy Chapman, Ph.D. (’92, MA ’94)