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Five Things You Should Know About Health and Safety Practices This Fall Quarter

If your inbox looks anything like most, it is flooded with lots of different informational emails surrounding the new practices and requirements recently put into place to help ensure the health and well-being of students, faculty, and staff this quarter. In times like these, it is important to keep yourself up to date on the latest health guidelines, but that can also feel like a lot to take in all at once. In order to alleviate the stress of remembering all of this new information, here is a list of five things you should know about the new health and safety practices the university has implemented this quarter:

  • Testing and Daily Screening Requirements for Students

Prior to the start of classes on Sept. 14, all students who were planning on coming to campus had to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test result. After that, each student now has to complete a daily self-screening in order to track and assess their symptoms so that they can keep the community safe on top of receiving immediate help and guidance. This is a quick and easy action that will help monitor and limit the amount of cases spread! The full message about this process can be seen on the Campus Updates webpage titled 9/13/2020 - New COVID-19 Self-Screening Tool: Info and Resources.

  • Cal Poly COVID-19 Tracking Dashboard

Maybe you are wondering how many confirmed cases are on campus or in the area? If so, you can find the latest updates on the number of COVID-19 cases in the county, as well as Cal Poly specifically, on the dashboard of the coronavirus webpage. The page also gives information on number of positive tests for on- and off-campus students who are tested at Campus Health and Wellbeing, the total number of recoveries, the latest public orders and plans, and more.

  • What if a Student gets COVID-19?

This is a very common question as Cal Poly is a large university with a couple thousand students on campus. Rest assured, Cal Poly is continuing to work closely with the County of San Luis Obispo Public Health Department in order to monitor and help students who have been exposed. If an on-campus student does contract COVID-19 they will reside in one of the 180 rooms Cal Poly has set aside for isolation where they will receive meals, academic support, regular physical and mental health checks. Similarly, off-campus students will be directed to isolate or quarantine by SLO County Public Health.

  • What if a Cal Poly Community Member is not Complying with Public Health Orders?

Should a community member not comply with public health orders, the incident could be reported to this page. Incidents involving faculty and staff could be reported to their supervisor. Reports involving students who fail to follow local ordinances will be overseen by the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities.

  • Ongoing Student Testing

Depending on a student's situation, whether they live on campus or have an in-person class, they may be contacted throughout fall quarter to get tested again. The university is currently working to establish a baseline that will assist health experts in creating the most effective method to monitor and support the Cal Poly population.

Reducing the spread of the coronavirus takes a village. Think of the Cal Poly community as your village, and that by taking part and being aware of these expectations you will ultimately benefit yourself and the university as a whole.

If you have any questions about any of these topics, please do not hesitate to contact Human Resources at humanresources@calpoly.edu, the Employee Support Services group at 805-756-2236 or the Virtual Help Desk at servicedesk@calpoly.edu