Old Main

January 17th, 2022

Dear Cardinal Community,

We are writing to inform you of changes to the College’s isolation and quarantine protocols based on the latest guidance from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC). Please note that student-athletes and athletics staff may have different expectations to align with guidance from the NCAA.

It is critically important that all members of the campus community, regardless of their vaccination status, who test positive for COVID-19 or who have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, or who are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, promptly notify the College by filling out the COVID-19 Reporting Form. This enables a College contact tracer to help guide you through isolation or quarantine.

If you test positive for COVID-19:

  • Regardless of your vaccination status, you must isolate for 5 full days. If after Day 5 you are not experiencing symptoms, or if your symptoms are improving and you’ve been fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication, you may end isolation on Day 6.

If you’ve been exposed to someone with COVID-19:

  • If you are unvaccinated or you have not received a booster shot if eligible, you must quarantine for five full days. If you are not experiencing symptoms, you may end quarantine on Day 6. If you develop symptoms, see below.
  • If you are vaccinated and have received your booster shot if eligible, you are not required to quarantine unless you develop symptoms. If you develop symptoms, see below.
  • Note: While the College does not require a negative test to end quarantine, the CDC recommends that, regardless of your vaccination status, you should get tested for COVID-19 five days after exposure, if possible.

If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19: 

  • Regardless of your vaccination status, and regardless of whether you’ve been exposed to someone with COVID-19, you should isolate for 5 full days. If after Day 5 your symptoms are improving and you’ve been fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication, you may end isolation on Day 6.

In ALL cases listed above:

  • You should continue to take additional precautions until Day 10 by self-monitoring for symptoms and wearing a well-fitting mask whenever you are around others.

How to calculate your isolation or quarantine period:

  • Day 0 is the first day you started experiencing symptoms or the day your specimen was collected for your positive test (whichever came first). Day 1 is the first full day after your symptoms developed or your test specimen was collected.

For additional information, please visit the Frequently Asked Questions section of the College’s COVID-19 website. Thank you for continuing to do your part to protect the health and safety of our community!

Best Regards,

Dr. Peter Barger 

Associate Provost, Director of Institutional Effectiveness and Planning Co-Chair, COVID-19 Institutional Response Team 

Michael Hudson 

Vice President for Operations Co-Chair, COVID-19 Institutional Response Team 

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