University of San Francisco COVID-19 Response Protocol

Introduction

This protocol shall be used by the University of San Francisco COVID-19 Response Team to respond to the threat of an outbreak from the communicable disease commonly known as COVID-19.

Within the protocol there are guidelines for mitigating and managing an outbreak of COVID-19 (potential, suspected, and confirmed cases) transmitted airborne or by droplets on the USF campus, safeguarding the welfare of individuals (students, staff, and faculty) across the campus community, and educating and advising the University community during the event.

The COVID-19 Response Team will coordinate the COVID-19 reporting and response process. Our mission is to ensure appropriate communication and action among University departments when incidents of a critical nature involving students/staff/faculty occur. When an incident occurs, the Team will be convened to develop a response plan based on the available information. The Team also facilitates post-crisis debriefings to review the incident, discuss follow-up actions, identify post-crisis support mechanisms, and evaluate the resolution.

A subsection of the COVID-19 Response Team is the USF COVID-19 Contact Tracing Team. The Contact Tracing Team is composed of trained individuals charged with conducting internal contact tracing of any confirmed positive cases within the USF community in order to quickly identify and isolate/quarantine those individuals to help limit further spread of COVID-19 within USF.

The University of San Francisco COVID-19 Response Team

  • Vice President for Student Life: Julie Orio
  • Associate Vice Provost and Dean of Students: Shannon Gary
  • Director of Health Promotion Services: Natalie Macias
  • Director of Campus Resilience: Natalie Macias
  • Senior Director of Student Housing and Residential Education: Torry Brouillard-Bruce
  • Senior Director of Public Safety: Dan Lawson
  • Assistant Vice President of Human Resources: Diane Nelson
  • Assistant to the Vice President for Student Life: Alana Harrington

The University of San Francisco COVID-19 Contact Tracing Team

  • Jen Joost
  • Sunny Kaido
  • Suzy Kisylia
  • Linda Lappe
  • Natalie Macias
  • Jenny Vuong

Reporting Procedures

All reports originating from the USF community shall be directed to the COVID-19 Response Team. These reports may come through two primary pathways: directly to the Response Team via covidtracing@usfca.edu or based on community members responses via the daily symptom screen that all students, faculty, staff, and affiliates are required to take prior to coming onto campus or leaving residence halls each day.

The COVID-19 Response Team is ultimately responsible for outreach and investigation of USF community members through the Contact Tracing Team and for coordinating the on-site logistical response to assist in any on-campus isolation or quarantine procedures that may be required. It should be noted that the Contact Tracing Team is not responsible for contacting any non-USF individuals that may have had close contact with any confirmed positive cases. Anyone falling outside of the USF community - students, faculty, staff, affiliates - is the jurisdiction of the local county health department of the positive case. The Contact Tracing Team will do their due diligence in reaching out to all USF-affiliated close contacts but may be unable due to incomplete reporting.

Activation Protocol

Upon notice of a positive COVID-19 case within the USF community, the COVID-19 Response Team, or a small subset of its members, is activated. Any meetings that may be necessary may be conducted via Zoom to keep with City and County of San Francisco and University of San Francisco public health guidelines.

The Response Team notifies the Contact Tracing Team Coordinator to assign the case to a member of the Contact Tracing Team. All efforts will be made to assign any employee or affiliate cases to Human Resources members of the Contact Tracing Team, but that may not be feasible due to caseload. Similarly, all efforts will be made to assign any student cases to Division of Student Life members of the Contact Tracing Team, but that may not be feasible due to caseload.

The COVID-19 Response Team will notify SFDPH of any positive cases in any USF students, faculty, or staff members. SFDPH will provide case consultation and guidance as well as any relevant additional contact tracing.

Investigating Protocol

COVID-19 Positive Individuals

Once given the contact information of a positive COVID-19 case, the assigned contact tracer reaches out to that individual via phone call if a phone number is available. The Contact Tracing Team and the Response Team will make every effort to find a case’s phone number.

The purpose of this call is to gather information from the individual to help the university determine the potential level of exposure of other USF-affiliated individuals. The individual’s personal information will be held strictly confidential. As required by law, the COVID-19 Response Team may disclose the student/employee’s information to public health, school, and legal authorities charged with preventing or controlling communicable diseases.

The contact tracer will use a predetermined script with standard questions to assist in gathering all relevant information. This information is then uploaded into the Contact Tracing Command Center for tracking purposes. This information is securely stored.

All information will be relayed to the San Francisco Department of Public Health for their contact tracing efforts. This is done by calling the Schools-Childcare Hub at 628-217-7499.

Close Contacts

Any USF-affiliated close contacts, as identified using SFDPH guidance, of the positive case identified through the tracer’s efforts will then be notified of this and provided appropriate guidance. Information to be found later in the protocol.

Symptomatic Individuals

The daily symptom screening will help the university identify those individuals that are self-disclosing symptoms that are most commonly associated with COVID-19. Those individuals that disclose that they are exhibiting symptoms will be reached out to by a member of the Contact Tracing Team to encourage them to get a COVID-19 test. It will be asked of those individuals to self-isolate while awaiting test results.

Testing

Individuals exhibiting symptoms will be provided with information on testing sites available throughout San Francisco. Students living in residence halls will be provided a mailed test to take in their residence. A member of the COVID-19 Response Team will pick up the test upon completion and drop off at the proper destination for mailing.

Response Protocol

Residential Student

Positive COVID-19 Case

A residential student that informs the university that they have tested positive for COVID-19 - either directly through the covidtracing@usfca.edu email, by calling 415-422-7637, or through the daily symptom screening will be required to isolate for a period of time determined by the most recent guidelines established by the San Francisco Department of Public Health. See Appendix D:

  • Residents will be relocated to an isolation room pre-identified by Student Housing and Residential Education (SHaRE).

The COVID-19 Response Team will provide the following information to the COVID-19 Care Team who are charged with providing logistical support to relocating the individual student and ensuring that they are set up for isolation:

  • Name
  • CWID
  • Current Residence Hall Room
  • Best contact information (ideally phone number and email)

The COVID-19 Care Team will do the following:

  1. Identify which unit is available for the student to use for isolation. SHaRE staff will then note that room as unavailable in StarRez.
  2. If necessary, retrieve a room access card for the assigned isolation space.
  3. A COVID-19 Care Team member will meet the student at their assigned isolation space and give them their access card to gain access to their room.
  4. Provide a resource and information guide for appropriate isolation procedures via an email via SHaRE.
  5. Work with Bon Appetit/EMGS to inform them of the room that will need food delivered and provide detailed information of the food delivery process and expectations
  6. Work with SHaRE, Facilities Management, and Able to ensure rooms are taken offline and cleaned per guidance and best practices
  7. Conduct scheduled, periodic check-ins with the student to ensure that their needs are being met and to answer any questions during their isolation
  8. Reach out to student to inform them that their isolation period is over per SFDPH guidance
  9. Work with Facilities Management and Able for cleaning of isolation room
  10. Notifying SHaRE of when the isolation room has been properly cleaned and available for use as an isolation or quarantine room.

Confirmed Close Contact

For a residential student that has been identified as a close contact through either self-reporting or through the contact tracing of a positive case that student may be required to quarantine for a period of time determined on their vaccination status and by the most recent guidelines established by the San Francisco Department of Public Health. See Appendix D.

  • If the student is a single occupant in a unit, they will be able to complete their quarantine in their assigned space.
  • If the student is in a unit with other individuals, they will be relocated to a quarantine room pre-identified by Student Housing and Residential Education (SHaRE).
  • The student may also be provided with an at-home COVID-19 test for them to take to help determine if they develop COVID-19.

The COVID-19 Response Team will provide the following information to the COVID-19 Care Team who are charged with providing logistical support to relocating the individual student and ensuring that they are set up for isolation:

  • Name
  • CWID
  • Current Residence Hall Room
  • Best contact information (ideally phone number and email)

The COVID-19 Care Team will do the following:

  1. If needing to relocate, identify which unit is available for the student to use for quarantine. SHaRE staff will then note that room as unavailable in StarRez.
  2. If necessary, retrieve a room access card for the assigned quarantine space.
  3. A COVID-19 Care Team member will meet the student at their assigned quarantine space and give them their access card to gain access to their room.
  4. Provide a resource and information guide for appropriate quarantine procedures via an email from SHaRE.
  5. Work with Bon Appetit/EMGS to inform them of the room that will need food delivered and provide detailed information of the food delivery process and expectations
  6. Work with SHaRE, Facilities Management, and Able to ensure rooms are taken offline and cleaned per guidance and best practices
  7. Conduct scheduled, periodic check-ins with the student to ensure that their needs are being met and to answer any questions during their isolation
  8. Reach out to student to inform them that their quarantine period is over per SFDPH guidance
  9. Work with Facilities Management and Able for cleaning of quarantine room
  10. Notifying SHaRE of when the isolation room has been properly cleaned and available for use as an isolation or quarantine room.

Reporting of Symptoms

A residential student that informs the university that they are experiencing symptoms consistent with COVID-19 - either directly or through the daily symptom screening - will be strongly encouraged to get tested for COVID-19.

A member of the Contact Tracing Team will reach out to those residential students who self-report symptoms to inform them of their options and provide a COVID-19 test. If the student gets tested, the student is encouraged to provide the result of the test back to the university. A positive test activates the Positive COVID-19 Protocol. For a negative test, the student will be asked to self-isolate in the residence hall room until symptoms resolve. See Appendix B.

Should a student refuse to get tested, they will be asked to self-isolate.

Non-residential Student

Positive COVID-19 Case

For a non-residential student that informs the university that they have tested positive for COVID-19, they will be asked to isolate at their off-campus residence for a period of time determined by the most recent guidelines established by the San Francisco Department of Public Health.

A member of the COVID-19 Response Team will do the following:

  1. Provide a resource and information guide for appropriate isolation procedures
  2. Conduct scheduled, periodic check-ins with the student to ensure that their needs are being met and to answer any questions during their isolation
  3. Reach out to student to inform them that their isolation period is over per SFDPH guidance

Confirmed Close Contact

For a non-residential student that has identified as a close contact through either self-reporting or through the contact tracing of a positive case, they may be asked to quarantine at their off-campus residence for a period of time determined by their vaccination status and the most recent guidelines established by the San Francisco Department of Public Health.

A member of the COVID-19 Response Team will do the following:

  1. Provide a resource and information guide for appropriate quarantine procedures
  2. Conduct scheduled, periodic check-ins with the student to ensure that their needs are being met and to answer any questions during their quarantine
  3. Reach out to student to inform them that their quarantine period is over per SFDPH guidance
  4. Provide a COVID-19 test, as appropriate

Reporting of Symptoms

A non-residential student that informs the university that they have been experiencing symptoms consistent with COVID-19 - either directly or through the daily symptom screening - will be strongly encouraged to get tested for COVID-19.

A member of the Contact Tracing Team will reach out to those non-residential students who self-report symptoms to inform them of their options. If the student gets tested, the student is encouraged to provide the result of the test back to the university. A positive test activates the Positive COVID-19 Protocol. For a negative test, the student will be asked to self-isolate until symptoms resolve. See Appendix B.

Employees

Positive COVID-19 Case

For an employee that informs the university that they have tested positive for COVID-19, they will be asked to isolate at their off-campus residence for a period of time determined by the most recent guidelines established by the San Francisco Department of Public Health.

The COVID-19 Response Team will provide the following information to Human Resources and who are charged with assisting the individual and ensuring that they are set up for isolation:

  • Name
  • CWID
  • Best contact information (ideally phone number and email)

Human Resources will do the following:

  1. Conduct scheduled, periodic check-ins with the employee to answer any questions during their isolation
  2. Reach out to the employee to inform them that their isolation period is over per SFDPH guidance

Confirmed Close Contact

For an employee that informs the university that they have been identified as a close contact through either self-reporting or through the contact tracing of a positive case, they may be asked to quarantine at their off-campus residence for a period of time determined by their vaccination status and the most recent guidelines established by the San Francisco Department of Public Health

The COVID-19 Response Team will provide the following information to Human Resources and who are charged with assisting the individual and ensuring that they are set up for isolation:

  • Name
  • CWID
  • Best contact information (ideally phone number and email)

Human Resources will do the following:

  1. Conduct scheduled, periodic check-ins with the employee to answer any questions during their isolation
  2. Reach out to the employee to inform them that their isolation period is over per SFDPH guidance

Reporting of Symptoms

An employee that informs the university that they are experiencing symptoms consistent with COVID-19 - either directly or through the daily symptom screening - will be strongly encouraged to get tested for COVID-19.

A member of the Contact Tracing Team will reach out to those employees who self-report symptoms to inform them of their options. If the employee gets tested, the employee is encouraged to provide the result of the test back to the university. A positive test activates the Positive COVID-19 Protocol. For a negative test, the employee will be asked to self-isolate until symptoms resolve. See Appendix B.