What’s Happening at SJU in NYC…
In accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and NYS Department of Health guidelines, St. John’s has implemented increased cleaning and disinfection protocols.
- There is a required verification questionnaire that must be completed and shown to a Public Safety officer at the campus gates to obtain access through the main gate only.
- Prior to the start of each day, all buildings are cleaned and disinfected.
- Throughout the day, a “Disinfection Team” disinfects high-volume touch points such as doorknobs, levers, handrails, railings, restrooms, and elevator buttons.
- Multiple hand sanitizer stations have been added throughout the campus.
- Sanitizing wipes are available for use in classrooms, large shared spaces, cafeterias, and in departments and offices.
- HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) systems have gone through a maintenance cycle and all filters are being upgraded
What’s Happening at Tufts in Boston…
Completion of the COVID-19 screening survey is required for all students living on or coming to campus and for all faculty and staff before arriving on campus each day. (There is no additional assessment, such as taking your temperature before entering a building once on campus.) Faculty members, students, or staff who exhibit symptoms (e.g., fever, respiratory symptoms, new occurrences of muscle aches, loss of taste, gastrointestinal symptoms) or who have been in close contact with someone who is confirmed as having COVID-19 in the previous 14 days, should not be on campus or should remain in their residence hall until they have been evaluated by a health-care provider and have been cleared to return to campus.
Face Coverings/Masks: Everyone is expected to wear face masks or face coverings while in a shared workspace/room, whether inside buildings or outside, unless they are unable due to medical reasons.
Social Distancing: Whenever possible, community members will be expected to observe six-feet social distancing guidelines, whether inside or outside. If possible, have at least one empty workspace separating you from another co-worker. Since space in the Medical Education, BRPH and Jaharis buildings is limited, we are prioritizing student in-person teaching and lab work over staff and faculty who are not student facing. This approach will help reduce the density of the buildings.
Individual Health & Wellness: The last few months have been challenging for our community. Self-isolation and social distancing may have negative consequences on our individual health due to increased stress, reduced physical activity and poor eating. While good overall health and wellness will not make us immune to COVID-19, it can make us more resilient to cope with a future infection. We encourage everyone to practice self-care, including regular physical activity, eating a healthy and nutritious diet, getting adequate sleep and finding mechanisms to deal with stress and anxiety. Tufts Human Resources offers a number of wellness webinars each month, so please check here for updates. The Friedman School’s Tufts Health & Nutrition Letter is also a helpful resource and is available to members of the Tufts community through this link on AccessTufts.
Departments must assess open work environments and meeting rooms to institute measures to physically separate and increase distance between employees, other coworkers, and third parties. We are working on a Return to Campus Guide specific to the Boston Health Sciences Campus, but for general information for the Tufts community please refer to the Return to Campus Guide. For additional resources, you can visit the Tufts COVID-19 website.
Keeping the density of individuals on the campus low is vital to reducing the spread of COVID-19. Therefore, students, faculty and staff will only be asked to come to campus when necessary. Functions that can be performed remotely will be encouraged to remain that way at least through the end of the calendar year. Your manager or supervisor will notify you whether you will be part of the surveillance testing program as well as expectations regarding on campus work.
While the risk of COVID-19 infection cannot be eliminated altogether, it can be mitigated. That is why it’s important to prioritize the health and safety of the entire community by taking these reasonable and practical steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19.