SLU COVID-19 FAQ and Safeguards

As a community, we are adjusting to living with the new strains of COVID-19. This fall, our approach to managing COVID-19 seeks to minimize disruptions to our everyday lives as we take necessary steps to suppress widespread outbreaks on campus, reduce the risk of severe disease, and protect the vulnerable members of our community.

Almost all aspects of campus life have returned to pre-pandemic conditions. We will not be limiting capacity at events, requiring proof of vaccination for campus visitors, implementing physical distancing in our campus spaces, or restricting university-sponsored travel.

Our layered approach to COVID-19 suppression is detailed in this FAQ. In brief, strategies include:

• Required vaccination
• Contact tracing with required testing
• Isolation for those infected with COVID-19

Making informed decisions during a pandemic when details change frequently is highly nuanced and relies on multiple factors and guidance from public health and infectious disease experts. We continue to follow the process that has successfully guided us for more than two years, and we use all of this to inform any modifications to our COVID-19 planning:

• Carefully monitoring campus infection rates
• Monitoring local rates of COVID-19 infection and hospitalizations
• Monitoring the pandemic epidemiology regarding new variants
• Consulting with community members, including public health experts
• Making decisions based on consensus science and our Jesuit values

No.

Yes. SLU’s contact tracing team has proven to be one of the most critical safeguards for preventing disease spread on our campus. In the 2020-2021 academic year, ~ three in 10 quarantined/exposed students became infected — and contagious — and were moved to isolation housing. They did not have a chance to transmit the disease to other members of our University community.

In the 2021-2022 academic year, contact tracing protocols were further updated based on required vaccinations, CDC guidance, and the analysis of campus data from the past year. Our contact tracing team identified multiple clusters on campus, which allowed us to move swiftly to contain the spread. And our contact tracing team was able to monitor for classroom spread of disease after we lifted our mask mandate in the spring of 2022.

Our contact tracing team is an arm of the Office of the President and agents for the St. Louis City Health Department. The team includes public health faculty, students and accredited staff.

An individual’s infection status is considered protected health information. Through contact tracing, we can let people know that they have been in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 without identifying the infected individual.

As the COVID-19 pandemic evolves, so may the definition of a close contact. A close contact is currently defined as any person who spent a cumulative total of ≥15 minutes in one 24-hour period within 6 feet of a confirmed case of COVID-19 while that person was contagious.

The contact tracing process begins when the contact tracing team is notified that an individual has tested positive. That prompts a “case investigation” to identify all close contacts. The process includes the following:

• During contact tracing interviews, individuals will be asked about who they sat next to and/or interacted with in classes or at events. We hope that many students will be able to identify their classmates by name. Close contacts will receive a “contact tracing” email, which will include required testing and other details.
• If the individual who tests positive for COVID-19 cannot identify who they sat next to or interacted with at either an event or in a class/lab, the entire class or attendee list (if it exists) will receive a “notification of potential exposure” email. This email will tell the recipient that they may have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 in either a class or at an event. Neither the event nor the class will be specified; only the date of the potential exposure will be provided. The email will include a recommended window of time in which the recipient is encouraged to get tested, based on when the potential exposure may have taken place.
• Notification of potential exposure emails will strongly encourage those who have a vaccine exemption or who are at high risk of severe disease to get tested.
• If you receive a notification of potential exposure email, it does not mean that you were by definition a close contact of an infected person. Testing is not required, as it is when you are a confirmed close contact. However, we want to err on the side of caution and notify potential exposures because the risk of transmission increases in a mask-optional environment.

In general, the contact tracing process is conducted in less than one day. However, some factors can increase the amount of time needed to interview and notify all close contacts. These factors include:

• A high number of infected individuals
• Having to contact a large number of close contacts
• Or, at the outset, being unable to reach an infected individual

Please reply to our contact tracing team right away. Their critical work to prevent COVID spread on our St. Louis campuses requires your urgent assistance.

The contact tracing team will determine if you may have been exposed to COVID-19 based upon what they have learned from their interview of the COVID-19-positive person and other evidence they have obtained, such as social media posts. Their interview with you and others will confirm or refute that suspicion.

Our contact tracing team members are acting as agents of the City Health Department.

Students who ignore inquiries or fail to cooperate with our contact tracing team will be reported to the Office of Student Responsibility and Community Standards.

Faculty and staff who do not cooperate with our contact tracing team will be reported to their academic dean or division vice president.

It means that based on the information they have gathered, the contact tracing team has concluded that you were not exposed to COVID-19.

However, if you believe that you spent 15 minutes or more within 6 feet of a person you know to be COVID-positive, please email contacttracing@health.slu.edu . We will connect you to our contact tracing team.

Face masks are only required in health care or clinical settings where patient encounters are likely.

• This includes the Student Health Center, University Counseling Center, Center for Counseling and Family Therapy, Psychological Services Center, Interdisciplinary Center for Autism Services, Speech-Language and Hearing Clinic, the Center for Advanced Dental Education, and COVID-19 testing and vaccination clinics.

Face masks are optional in all other campus settings, with the expectation that when you engage with another person who is wearing a mask, you are expected to demonstrate cura personalis and put on your own face mask.

Although SLU and the greater St. Louis region are currently mask optional,  we must continue to show care for members of our community who are at high risk for serious disease or who care for vulnerable people.

As a community, we have a shared expectation that we will show care for the well-being of others by putting on a face mask when we interact with someone who is wearing a face mask. This means:

• You should carry a mask with you.
• If you approach someone to have a conversation and they are wearing a mask, please put on your mask.
• If you are just passing someone in the hallway who is masked, you do not need to put on your mask.
• If an instructor chooses to wear a mask while teaching or if a student wears a mask while in class, this does not mean that the entire class must be masked for the length of the class.
• If you work in a department where students or employees may wish to be masked, consider keeping a supply of disposable masks available for others to put on. If you would like to obtain some disposable surgical masks or KN95s for your classroom, lab, office, or workspace, please email pandemic@slu.edu.

Face masks are only required in health care or clinical settings where patient encounters are likely. This includes the Student Health Center, University Counseling Center, Center for Counseling and Family Therapy, Psychological Services Center, Interdisciplinary Center for Autism Services, Speech-Language and Hearing Clinic, the Center for Advanced Dental Education, and COVID-19 testing and vaccination clinics.

Face masks are optional in all other campus settings, with the expectation that when you engage with another person who is wearing a mask, you are expected to demonstrate cura personalis and put on your own face mask.

Please show grace with one another as we work, learn, and engage with one another on our mask-optional campus. Be open to having a respectful conversation as we navigate our masking guidelines. If you’re not sure if you should put on your mask, just ask.

We will also continue to show care and compassion for members of vulnerable groups by providing high-quality respirators to those who request them. Evidence tells us that wearing a high-quality respirator can minimize the risk of contracting COVID-19, even in a mask-optional setting. SLU has obtained a supply of KN95 respirators to support our community members who wish to have a more protective mask/respirator. If you would like to obtain a KN95, please email pandemic@slu.edu. The CDC offers a helpful overview of different types of masks and respirators.

If you test positive, regardless of your vaccination status, you will need to be isolated to prevent disease transmission to others.

All employees and students must be cleared before they may return to campus. Please note that there are separate protocols and procedures for being cleared to return to campus versus clearance to return to clinical settings. Employees and students who have clinical responsibilities must be cleared to return to campus and to clinicals.

All students and employees with clinical responsibilities who are infected with COVID-19 must be cleared by student health or the contact tracing team before they can return to their clinical setting.

On-campus isolation housing is available for Saint Louis University students who live on campus. The student is expected to stay in isolation (or quarantine) housing until the Student Health Center clears them to leave and return to their residence hall living space.

• We strongly encourage COVID-19-positive students who live on campus to isolate at home if they live within 250 miles of SLU and if they are able to do so safely. (Contact tracers and the housing team will work with students to understand what’s possible.)
• If you choose to stay in our isolation housing facility, our isolation housing team will contact you by phone or text to schedule your move from your on-campus residence. They also will provide you with a list of items you may want to bring along because you will not be able to return to your housing unit until your isolation period is over.
• We continue to use Hotel Ignacio for COVID-19-related housing needs for residential students who cannot isolate at home.
• While a student is isolating, whether on- or off-campus, our Student Health Center team will coordinate their health care, checking on them regularly. Our isolation housing team will tend to other student needs, including snacks and daily meals. They also will receive outreach from other support offices as needed.

SLU does not require quarantine. Roommates or suitemates of individuals who test positive for COVID-19 will be contacted by the contact tracing team, who will share specific instructions related to wearing a mask and obtaining testing for COVID-19.

Isolation is required for those who test positive for COVID-19. Quarantine is for those who have been exposed to someone infected with COVID-19 but are not yet showing symptoms or have not yet tested positive. SLU no longer requires quarantine.

Isolation length will vary based on COVID-19 status, symptoms and your role at the University.

 Individuals in isolation will receive specific instructions. Students and employees should not leave isolation until they are cleared to do so by Student Health or the Contact Tracing team.

Isolation guidelines for nonclinical employees and students are based on our campus epidemiological data and guidance from the CDC and the American College Health Association guidelines. In general, this includes a five-day isolation period if individuals are fever-free and test negative.

All you need to say is that you have a University-approved absence. You do not have to say you are in isolation, or that you have COVID-19.

If you are a student in isolation, it’s important that you keep up with your course materials/content. Talk to your instructor(s) about your assignments and deadlines and keep up with your work. Seek out classmates for more information.

If you are a teaching faculty member and you are too ill to teach, work with your chair and dean to find a substitute.

If you are a staff member, inform your supervisor of the work assignments that will have to be put on hold or passed on to others.

HR has set aside up to 80 hours per full-time faculty and staff member, including hourly and salaried employees, for University-approved absences due to COVID-19.

“Self-isolation” is not part of our protocol at SLU. Even if you think what you are experiencing is “just allergies,” “just the winter sniffles,” or “just another migraine,” you must report those symptoms and any possible exposure to someone with COVID-19 immediately to Student Health or SLU's COVID-19 Response Team (for staff, faculty and clinical students).

Student Health Center services are available to all SLU students, whether or not they live on campus. Students who inform Student Health they have tested positive for COVID-19 can access:

• Video visits
• RN check-ins
• In-person clinic visits (after a preliminary phone or virtual assessment)
• Links to virtual resources from various areas of campus (University Counseling Center, Campus Ministry, wellness services)

Students known to be in isolation will be able to opt in to wellness check-ins conducted by SLU's University Counseling Center.

Please be patient while our contact tracing team conducts their investigation.

If you are determined to be a close contact, you should be notified within a short time frame by the contact tracing team. They will provide you with instructions for testing and follow-up.

If you do not hear from the contact tracing team, that means that they have concluded that you were not exposed to COVID-19.

However, if you believe that you spent 15 minutes or more within 6 feet of a person you know to be COVID-positive, please email contacttracing@health.slu.edu . We will connect you to our contact tracing team.

Should our contact tracing team notify you that you may have been exposed, the identity of the infected person will not be revealed.

This is not only a legal mandate, but it’s particularly important for University employees and students because people will only cooperate in contact tracing if they trust that their privacy will be protected.

Absences due to isolation will be handled as extended authorized absences. Students should contact their instructors to discuss how they can maintain progress in their courses.

No. The instructor should not notify others of a student’s positive test result. All possible measures should be taken to protect the privacy of any person who tests positive for COVID-19.

Contact tracing will be performed and notifications will be made to any person who is considered a close contact so that appropriate follow-up and testing can be initiated.

Not necessarily. You will only be notified if you are a close contact of the infected individual.

If a member of the contact tracing team does inform you that you are a close contact of an infected person, they will not provide the name of that individual to you. When our contract tracing team notifies someone that they may have been exposed, they will not reveal the identity of the infected person.

This is not only a legal mandate, but it’s particularly important for University employees and students because people will only cooperate in contact tracing if they trust that their privacy will be protected.

Contact tracing will notify you if you are a close contact of an infected individual. There are some COVID-related circumstances in which an instructor may need to teach virtually for a short period of time. Faculty should consult the Faculty Guidance for Instruction for more information.

Contact tracing will notify close contacts of infected individuals about when testing is required.  If someone is identified as a close contact of an infected person, our COVID Prevention Services Team will schedule testing for them. It may take up to three days for testing results to be obtained. During that time, the class should be able to meet, assuming the faculty member or instructor is not a COVID-positive case.

If close contacts fail to show for testing, they will be referred to the Office of Student Responsibility and Community Standards. Non-compliance with this requirement may result in disciplinary action.

Although we do not require the use of a symptom check smartphone app, community members who are living, studying or working on our St. Louis campuses are still expected to self-screen daily for COVID-19-like symptoms before coming to SLU’s campus.

The CDC offers an online symptom check here.

No. Instructors are only responsible for monitoring and reporting their own health symptoms.

Please don’t explain away your symptoms as allergies, a cold or a migraine. You may be putting friends, classmates and co-workers at risk. As COVID-19 protocols have loosened on our campus and in the community, it is more essential than ever that any individuals who have COVID-like symptoms follow these steps:

• If you live on campus, do not leave your living space. If you live off campus, do not come to campus to work or study.
• If you are a student contact Student Health (314-977-2323) or your primary care provider so that you may be screened by a health professional who will determine if you need to be tested before coming to campus or class. Wait until you get the okay to return to campus or class before you do so.
• If you are an employee:  Contact your primary care provider about the need to be tested.

All employees and students experiencing COVID-19-like symptoms are expected to be tested or screened by a health professional to determine if testing is needed before coming to SLU’s campus.

 All students and employees who are identified as having close contact with an infected person are required to be tested. Our contact tracing team will notify individuals deemed to be close contacts and provide details about quarantine, testing requirements and follow-up.

 No asymptomatic surveillance testing is planned at this time. However, some limited asymptomatic testing may be conducted if our Contact Tracing team identifies a cluster or outbreak on campus.

No asymptomatic surveillance testing is planned at this time. However, some limited asymptomatic testing may be conducted if our Contact Tracing team identifies a cluster or outbreak on campus.

Anyone considered to have been exposed to a COVID-positive person (spending 15 or more cumulative minutes over 24 hours within 6 feet of a COVID-positive person)  is required to be tested — regardless of your vaccination status, unless they have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 90 days.

You do not need to arrange for or ask for testing. The contact tracing team will direct you as to how and where to be tested. Testing is provided on campus free of charge.

We also have a testing clinic on campus for those who require periodic or regular asymptomatic testing and testing of close contacts. You will be notified if you need to use this testing service and given instructions about the location, day and time of the testing.

If you can’t make one of our available testing clinic days/times within the timeframe provided to you by Contact Tracing, please contact contacttracing@health.slu.edu . If you are not tested within the timeframe provided to you by Contact Tracing, you will be charged $200.

Students who have symptoms or have been referred for testing can get tested at the Student Health Center. There is no charge for these tests.

Symptomatic staff and faculty may obtain testing from a local community testing center, such as a pharmacy or an urgent care provider, or order free tests from the government or your insurance company. Most insurance plans will now provide up to eight rapid tests per month at no cost.

University community members who are identified as a close contact by our contact tracing team and require testing can be tested at our on-campus testing facility. There is no charge for this test.

Employees and students who require periodic or regular asymptomatic testing due to campus protocols, local, state, or federal regulations, community or clinical placement requirements or due to their individual vaccination status can be tested at our on-campus testing facility. There is no charge for this test.

SLU requires all students, faculty, staff and contract workers who are living, studying, teaching, researching, missioning or working on our St. Louis campuses to receive the primary COVID-19 vaccination series. Religious and medical exemptions to our vaccination requirement may be granted on a case-by-case basis. Vaccinations also are required of SLU St. Louis students who will be studying outside the U.S., including on our Madrid campus.

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Booster doses are highly encouraged for anyone who is eligible to receive them. If you want to get your booster vaccine at SLU, you can register for an appointment on campus or visit a community vaccination clinic.

The State of Missouri has recently affirmed the CDC’s recommendation and FDA’s authorization to allow certain individuals the ability to receive a second COVID-19 mRNA booster dose. Those who are eligible are those who received their first booster dose at least 4 months ago and:

• Are 50 years of age or older
• Are 12 years of age or older, and are moderately to severely immunocompromised           

We highly encourage everyone to stay up-to-date on vaccination, especially those at high-risk for severe illness or those who live with or provide care to a high-risk individual.  Our campus vaccination clinics will administer second booster doses to those who qualify. If you want to get your booster vaccine, you can register for an appointment on campus or visit a community vaccination clinic.

Anyone eligible is welcome to get their vaccine at our campus vaccination clinics. This includes our employees, students, and volunteers, as well as their family, friends or other community members.

A visitor or guest is someone who will only be on campus for a single event or visit, or for periodic events (such as attending multiple athletic events as a spectator).

Individuals who will be coming to or visiting campus on a regular basis are not considered visitors/guests. Some examples might include:

• A visiting scholar
• A guest lecturer who will give multiple presentations in a single semester
• Students hired by a grant to work on campus for multiple weeks in a semester

Saint Louis University requires everyone on campus, including visitors and guests, to follow current face mask policies. See the face mask FAQ for more details.

If an individual will be coming to or visiting campus on a regular basis, they fall under our COVID-19 vaccination policy and are required to either proof of having completed their COVID-19 vaccination or have an approved vaccine exemption. If these individuals do not have a SLU email address, they do not have access to our vaccination portal. Therefore, the unit leader, person, or group hosting the individual should email pandemic@slu.edu and share the individual’s name and contact information. The COVID-19 vaccination team will work with the individual to obtain their proof of vaccination or vaccine exemption.

SLU is not using a formal health screening app or another tool. However, guests should not come to campus if they have tested positive for COVID-19 and are still in isolation.

Visitors or guests with symptoms of COVID-19 should speak to their healthcare provider about the possible need for a COVID-19 test before coming to campus or conduct an at-home test if one is available.