COVID-19 Policies

With the guidance from the CDC, NYSDOH and in accordance with, NYS Best Practice Guidelines for post-secondary Institutions regarding student compliance with Public Health Law (PHL) section 2165, Keuka College has come to the following policy regarding the campus protocol for COVID-19 care starting Aug.16, 2022.

The College will go forward with the following COVID-19 procedures for students:

1. All students are recommended to have a primary COVID-19 vaccine series, as well as the COVID-19 booster.
2. If a student has COVID-19 symptoms such as cough, congestion, shortness of breath, chest pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, chills/sweats, fever, sore throat, new loss of taste or smell, fatigue or headache, they should:
   1. Make an appointment with the provider in the Health Center and be tested for COVID-19. This is an insurance-billable visit; OR
   2. Take a home test and submit any positive results to their KC Health Portal and call the Health Center at 315-279-5368 or email health@keuka.edu; OR
   3. Have their symptoms evaluated by their own healthcare provider, or an Urgent Care or Emergency Department. If the student tests positive, they should submit any positive results to their KC Health Portal – keuka.studenthealthportal.com – and call the Health Center at 315-279-5368 or email health@keuka.edu.
3. If a student is positive for COVID-19, they will be required to go home or stay in their residence hall room if they cannot go home.
4. If a student is a close contact of a positive COVID-19 case, the student is advised to wear a mask for 10 days, they do not have to isolate. (See Specific procedures for a contact of a COVID-19 positive case, below.)
5. The College encourages all students to maintain good hand and respiratory hygiene and seek an evaluation from a healthcare provider if they are ill. Masks are encouraged to be worn for any upper respiratory illness until the student is feeling well again.

Specific procedures for a positive COVID-19 diagnosis:

1. If a student is diagnosed in the Health Center, at another healthcare facility, or by a home test, they will be instructed to go home. If they cannot go home, the student may stay in their residence hall room. The date of diagnosis or date of onset of symptoms is day zero. The student may leave isolation at 12:01 a.m. on day six. The student, if well after five days, may return to campus and classes wearing a well-fitting mask at all times indoors for days six through 10. If the student is asymptomatic at the conclusion of day 10, they may choose to continue to wear their mask or take it off.
2. Students will be responsible for contacting their instructors to let them know that they will not be attending class in-person, just as they would for any other protracted illness and absence.
3. The College highly recommends that students record their positive results with Yates County Public Health. Isolation release orders will give the student a document that officially releases them from isolation and may be used as proof for being out of in-person class until a particular date.
4. Students should contact their healthcare provider and let them know of their positive result.
5. Students are responsible for informing their close contacts. A close contact is defined as a person that the student has been within six feet of for 15 minutes or more, regardless whether masks were worn. This definition applies to people the student has been in contact with from 48 hours prior to symptom onset or positive test result if asymptomatic, to time of diagnosis.
6. The close contacts are informed by the student to call the Health Center at 315-279-5368 or email health@keuka.edu for further instructions; wear a well-fitting mask indoors for 10 days and test on day six.
7. If a student who is in isolation wishes to be seen by the provider in the Health Center, an appointment will be made during office hours. This appointment could be in person or may be via telehealth. Please call 315-279-5368.
8. If a student in isolation feels they are experiencing an emergency, they should call 911.
9. If a student is isolating in their residence hall room, the Health Center will contact Residence Life to let them know a student is in their room and will need food delivered.
10. Residence Life staff will be responsible for informing students of rules for isolation in the residence hall room and informing AVI that meals will need to be delivered.
11. The Office of Residence Life will contact the students in isolation to check on their wellbeing.

Specific procedures for a contact of a COVID-19 positive case:

1. A student that is considered a contact is responsible for calling the Keuka College Health Center at 315-279-5368 or emailing health@keuka.edu.
   1. If the contact is without symptoms:
      1. No quarantine is necessary.
      2. Wear a well-fitting mask indoors for 10 days.
      3. Test for COVID-19 on day six.
      4. The student contact may attend class.
   2. If the contact is experiencing symptoms:
      1. The student should be evaluated by a healthcare provider and take a COVID-19 test.
      2. If testing is negative, no quarantine is required.
      3. They should wear a well-fitting mask indoors for 10 days.
      4. The student contact may attend class.
      5. If testing is positive, the student must follow isolation instructions.
      6. Upload test results to their health portal – keuka.studenthealthportal.com – and email health@keuka.edu to inform staff that the test results are in the portal. Report to Yates County Public Health their results for a Release of Isolation Notice.
   3. If the contact has tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 90 days, regardless of vaccination status:
      1. No quarantine is required.
      2. No testing is required.
      3. Wear a well-fitting mask indoors for 10 days.
      4. If symptoms develop, contact your healthcare provider or the Health Center 315-279-5368 and follow their advice for treatment.
      5. If the testing is positive, discuss the results with a healthcare provider and a decision will be made based on the student's symptoms.

Students that do not follow procedures for this Keuka College COVID-19 Policy 2022-23, will be referred to Community Standards.