Procedures for Faculty and Staff

All employees have access to the campus. A daily health check prior to coming to campus is no longer required; however, employees who are feeling ill should stay home and contact their supervisor.

 

Personal Safety Practices

COTC Vaccination Expectation

While COTC does not require vaccination at this time, it is our expectation that all faculty, staff and students will receive the COVID-19 vaccination and booster shot, if eligible, for the safety of our community. The college is required to collect the vaccination records of some faculty and students to meet the vaccination requirements of clinical, internship or practicum sites. Note that individuals are fully vaccinated 14 days after receiving their final dose of vaccine.

All faculty, staff and students are expected to follow safe campus requirements, and must participate in contact tracing, quarantine and isolation as may be required by public health authorities.

Face mask requirements

In response to the updated guidelines and a current lower level of infection in our service area, beginning at 6 p.m. on Friday, March 11, masks will no longer be required for any faculty, staff, students or visitors at any of COTC’s four campus locations (Newark, Coshocton, Knox and Pataskala) regardless of vaccination status. Public events, such as those that take place at the John Gilbert Reese Center, are mask optional, effective immediately.

While no longer required, individuals may continue to wear masks during the pandemic if they choose, especially those who are immunocompromised or otherwise at higher risk for infection and those caring for high-risk individuals.

Disposable masks will be available for faculty, staff, students and visitors at the following campus locations:

  • Adena Hall – Recreation Center
  • Founders Hall – Ohio State Newark Admissions and Advising
  • Hopewell Hall – COTC Gateway
  • John L. and Christine Warner Library and Student Center – Department of Public Safety, Office of Student Life, Library
  • COTC Extended Campuses – Facilities Staff
  • A limited supply of face masks is available at building entrances and in classrooms.

Distancing

Physical distancing is no longer required in classrooms.

Unvaccinated individuals should distance outdoors when not wearing masks.

Capacity

Indoor venues may operate at full capacity. The college has limited the capacity of some of the largest classes.

Hand hygiene

Hands should be washed frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after touching common surfaces.

If soap and water are not available, 70% alcohol-based hand sanitizer should be used. The college has made hand sanitizer widely available across its campuses.

Symptoms of COVID-19

A daily health check is the most effective way to monitor for symptoms of COVID-19, which include the following:

  • A fever of 100°F or higher
  • Respiratory symptoms, such as dry cough or shortness of breath
  • Vomiting or diarrhea
  • Muscle or body ache
  • Chills
  • Loss of taste or smell

Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure. Keep in mind, many people with COVID-19 have mild symptoms and are able to recover at home.

Privacy

All faculty/staff: If you learn of a possible case or confirmed infection, do not share the person’s health information with colleagues. This is a violation of their privacy, and this information is protected by HIPAA and other laws. We must rely on regional public health officials to continue to investigate cases and trace potential contacts.

 

What to do if…

Refer to the CDC for information regarding:

 

You’ve Been in Close Contact with Someone Who Has COVID-19

You quarantine when you might have been exposed to the virus and may or may not have been infected.

Who needs to quarantine? Quarantine if you have been in close contact (within 6 feet of someone for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period) with someone who has COVID-19 if you are in one of the follow groups:

  • You are ages 18 or older and completed the primary series of recommended vaccine, but have not received a recommended booster shot when eligible.
  • You received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine (completing the primary series) over 2 months ago and have not received a recommended booster shot.
  • You are not vaccinated or have not completed a primary vaccine series.

Who does not need to quarantine? If you came into close contact with someone with COVID-19 and you are in one of the following groups, you do not need to quarantine.

 

You are Ill

If you have a fever, cough or other symptoms, you might have COVID-19. Most people have mild illness and are able to recover at home. If you are sick:

  • Keep track of your symptoms.
  • If you have an emergency warning sign (including trouble breathing), call 911.
  • Stay home except to received medical care, and separate yourself from other people.
  • Do not enter campus.
  • Do follow usual call-off procedures.
  • Contact your primary care provider, or if you do not have a primary care provider:
    • COTC-paid employees: call the Licking County Health Department at 740.349.6535 for guidance.
    • Ohio State-paid employees: call the Wexner Medical Center’s COVID-19 call center at 614.293.4000 for guidance.

 

You Test Positive for COVID-19

You isolate when you are sick or when you have been infected with the virus, even if you don’t have symptoms.

Who needs to isolate? People who are confirmed to have COVID-19 or are showing symptoms of COVID-19 need to isolate regardless of their vaccination status. This includes:

  • People who have a positive viral test for COVID-19, regardless of whether or not they have symptoms.
  • People with symptoms of COVID-19, including people who are awaiting test results or have not been tested. People with symptoms should isolate even if they do not know if they have been in close contact with someone with COVID-19.

What do I do for work? 

  • Do not enter campus.
  • COTC employees should contact Human Resources Director Sue Wadley at 740.755.7345 or wadley.16@mail.cotc.edu.
  • Cost-shared Ohio State-paid employees should contact Maryjo Mundey, HR business partner, 740.725.6397, mundey.2@osu.edu and, if you are tested outside of Ohio State, you must notify the Case Investigation and Contact Tracing Team at 614-688-2273.
  • Follow your department’s call-off procedures.
  • Follow the recommendations as directed by your health care provider or public health official.

 

Supervisor Responsibilities

If you receive a report, confirmed or unconfirmed, that a member of your team has been exposed to or has contracted coronavirus/COVID-19, instruct the employee to not come to campus and to follow the guidance of their health care provider or public health official.

  • Make arrangements for the employee to telework or for the employee’s duties to be covered as needed. COTC-paid employees should submit the COTC flexible work request form. Ohio State-paid employees should submit the Ohio State flexible work request form.
  • Ensure the employee is aware of their leave options and has submitted the appropriate leave request. Ohio State-paid employees will submit a leave request via Workday.
  • Do not notify other team members or others at the college. Maintain the employee’s medical privacy. Assessing possible exposures and notifying those who are at potential risk is the responsibility of the public health contact tracing team.
  • Notify Human Resources (for COTC-paid employees, contact Sue Wadley; for OSU-paid employees, contact Maryjo Mundey).

 

Contact Tracing

Contact tracing for all COTC our employees and students is being conducted by the Licking County Health Department.

 

Accommodations

Employees with particular needs for accommodations should contact the Office of Human Resources.