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 July 1, 2023.

The College will go forward with the following procedures to help decrease the spread of COVID-19 within the College Community.

1. All students are recommended to have a primary COVID-19 vaccine series as well as a booster vaccine whenever recommended by the students’ PCP.
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 & Counseling 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 & Counseling Center at 315-279-5368 or email health@keuka.edu. OR
   3. Have their symptoms evaluated by their own healthcare provider, an Urgent Care or an Emergency Department. If the student tests positive, they should submit any positive results to their KC Health Portal and call the Health & Counseling Center at (315) 279-5368 or email health@keuka.edu.
3. If a student is positive for COVID-19, they will be required to isolate themselves at home or in their room on campus for 5 full days. Students will be required to wear a high-quality mask while back in classes on day six through day 10, whenever they are indoors, around others at home and in public.
4. The College encourages all students to have 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 & Counseling Center, at another healthcare facility or by a home test; they will be given a choice to go home or isolate in their residence hall room for 5 full days. 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 6. The student, if well after 5 days, may return to campus and classes wearing a mask indoors at all times for days 6 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 in-person class 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 that they are 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 6 feet of for 15 minutes or more regardless of whether masks were worn or not. 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 will need to be informed by the student to call the Health & Counseling Center at (315) 279-5368 or email health@keuka.edu for further instructions.
7. If a student who is in isolation wishes to be seen by the provider in the Health & Counseling Center, an appointment will be made during office hours. This appointment could be in person or via telehealth.
8. If a student in isolation feels they are experiencing an emergency, they should call 911.
9. If a student chooses to isolate in their campus residence hall, the Health & Counseling Center will contact Student Life to let them know a student will be in isolation.
10. If a student chooses to isolate in their campus residence hall, meals will be delivered through AVI.
11. Student Life staff will be responsible for informing students of rules for isolation in their campus residence hall and informing AVI that meals will need to be delivered.
12. The Office of Student Life will contact the students in isolation to check on their wellbeing.
13. Keuka College will not be policing the healthcare management of students. It is the students’ responsibility to report a positive COVID-19 test and follow this policy for their own health as well as the health and safety of those on campus.

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.
2. The Health & Counseling Center staff will inform the close contact of their responsibilities going forward.
   1. No quarantine necessary.
   2. The student contact may attend class.
   3. Masking indoors for 10 days from last contact with a positive case.
   4. Test on whichever comes first, 5 days after last exposure or the day a symptom develops.
   5. If symptoms develop, contact the Health & Counseling Center at 315-279-5368 or their personal healthcare provider and get tested for COVID-19 or do a home test.
   6. If the testing is positive, discuss the results with a healthcare provider and a decision will be made based on the student's symptoms.

If it is determined that a student is not following the procedure for this Keuka College COVID-19 Policy 2023-2024, the student will be referred to Community Standards.