Procedures for Students

Please note, due to the uncertainty surrounding the ongoing pandemic, that these plans are provisional and are subject to change at any time.

 

Student Access

All COTC students are expected to meet the outlined behavioral and safety expectations when they are physically present at any college activity, on or off campus. Students are no longer required to do a daily health check, but are required to stay home and contact their professor if they are ill. Symptom-free students have access to all internal campus spaces following the personal safety practices below.

 

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.

 

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.
  • Contact your primary care provider, or if you do not have a primary care provider call the Licking County Health Department at 740.349.6535 for guidance.
  • Do not enter campus.
  • Notify faculty members/instructors/on-campus work supervisors as soon as you can if you are ill with COVID-19 or having symptoms, or are otherwise unable to attend in-person classes/work to arrange for accommodations and plans for making up work.

 

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 school/work on campus? 

  • Do not enter campus.
  • Notify faculty members/instructors/on-campus work supervisors when you are unable to attend in-person classes/work to arrange for accommodations and plans for making up work.
  • You are not required to tell any faculty members/instructors that you have COVID-19 if you have tested positive. You are required to report a positive COVID-19 test result to your on-campus work supervisor.
  • Follow the recommendations as directed by your health care provider or public health official.

 

Contact Tracing

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

 

Accommodations

Students with particular needs for accommodations should contact Student Life Disability Services.