Students and faculty and staff members have been provided with a symptom checklist and asked to self-monitor daily. Additionally, students have been asked to bring a thermometer to check their temperature daily.
Faculty and staff members have been asked and are continuously reminded to stay home and contact their supervisor and health care provider if they are experiencing symptoms. Students will be asked to stay in their respective residence hall and notify the Student Health Center for screening if symptoms occur.
The Office of Student Affairs and Student Health Center staff will maintain a daily report on COVID-19 cases and campus health. Data provided will include the number of COVID-19 cases (students and employees), the number of new cases (students and employees), and the number of students and employees who are in quarantine. The daily report will also report on the capacity of local and regional hospitals.
Student Health Center staff will work in conjunction with Prince Edward County Health Department regarding contact tracing for any employee or student who tests positive.
Testing Strategy
Initial Screening
The College is contracting with Kallaco Health & Technology to test all students upon or soon after their return to campus. Testing will also be available to all employees.
Beyond initial testing, the College will conduct random testing of students to monitor the prevalence of COVID-19 among the student body. Wastewater testing may be used to guide random testing in student residential areas.
Beyond initial or random testing, for a student whose COVID-19 telephone screening test is positive, Health Center staff will determine his status and act as follows:
- If the student is in distress, Health Center staff will call 911 and notify the responder of the positive telephone screening.
- If the student is too ill to be managed at the Student Health Center, Health Center staff will direct him to the COVID-19 Hotline (434-200-1225) at Centra to be triaged to an appropriate facility.
If the student is stable, trained Student Health Services staff will perform testing according to current Virginia Department of Health guidance about who to test. If the Student Health Center conducts testing and receives positive COVID-19 test results, Health Center staff will notify the Prince Edward County Health Department (PECHD), complete and fax a Confidential Morbidity Report (Epi-1 form) for reportable diseases to the PECHD, and notify Rhonda Pruitt, District Epidemiologist for Piedmont Health District. Should the College be unable to procure adequate testing supplies, Health Center staff will make a referral to Centra Southside Medical Center or Centra Southside Community Hospital for testing.
Quarantine
Student Health Center staff will notify the College’s Associate Dean of Housing and Residential Life when student COVID-19 testing occurs. Students will be quarantined or isolated in designated campus facilities unless they and their parents request that they quarantine or isolate at home. The student will be asked to notify his professors, coaches/athletic trainer, and work-study supervisor as applicable. Any student who goes home for quarantine or isolation will be asked to contact the Student Health Center to plan for an approved return to campus.
If a student is quarantined or isolated on campus after testing, he will be asked to contact the Student Health Center to initiate a plan of care, housing, contact tracing, and obtain consent to share his name with essential personnel. He will be instructed to bring his laptop, phone, and a bag packed with any items needed for a period of quarantine, including linens, towels, any medication, and thermometer. The student will be emailed a packet of information, including a definition of quarantine, the signs and symptoms of disease, self-care instructions, signs and symptoms of worsening illness including what to do in emergency situations, and a daily symptom log. The Associate Dean of Housing and Residential Life will initiate quarantine protocol and the student will be directed to a quarantine or isolation room.
A Positive COVID Test
If a student confirms a positive PCR test, the Health Center staff will notify the College COVID-19 Coordinator (Dean of Faculty). Health Center staff will also work in conjunction with Prince Edward County Health Department regarding contact tracing and will keep a daily log of the student’s disposition (e.g., at home, in quarantine, or in isolation).
If a cluster of cases is identified, Student Health Center staff will notify the Prince Edward County Health Department.
In the event a student (or faculty or staff member) shows symptoms of COVID-19 and needs transportation, the Prince Edward Volunteer Rescue Squad will be contacted for transport to Centra Southside Hospital.
Return to Class
Symptomatic students must be seen by the Student Health Center or a physician for an evaluation and possible testing or be free of symptoms for 14 days before returning to classes and resuming more routine life on campus.
If a student has been exposed to COVID-19 (was in close proximity to someone presumed or confirmed positive), the decision to quarantine the student will be made by the Student Health Center and the Office of Student Affairs. If a student has been exposed to a known positive, then they must quarantine for 14 days even if they receive a negative test result, given that the virus has a 14 day incubation period.