Monitoring and Testing: Keeping Rowan Healthy and Safe

Everyday life on Rowan University’s campuses is dynamic, interactive, collaborative and social. While this culture makes possible the transformative experience that is integral to our community, the health and safety of our Rowan community is our top priority. To reduce the risk of COVID-19 threats within and around Rowan, we must change the way we live and work together for the foreseeable future.

Central to the policies for keeping Rowan healthy and safe is our commitment to protect the most vulnerable among us, including individuals over the age of 60 and anyone with chronic medical conditions including heart or lung disease, diabetes, compromised immunity, severe obesity, chronic kidney or liver disease. Because COVID-19 threatens all in our community to some degree, everyone will benefit as we help ensure that the most vulnerable may work and learn by reducing their exposure risk.

Monitoring

Self-Reported Symptom Assessment
Once campus is open to returning students and employees (Phase 4), everyone will be required to submit their temperature daily and attest to being symptom-free before being able to access the Rowan network.

Attendance
Individuals responsible for groups of employees or students at events, like classroom lectures, meetings and other gatherings must document attendance. This can be done through digital tracking in ProfLink, Banner or by spreadsheet to allow contact tracing, if needed.

Sick Notification
Employees must notify Human Resources of illness or suspected COVID-19 infection and report symptoms through the Self-Reported Symptom Assessment described above or another method to be determined. Fever is the most common symptom of COVID-19, but it could also indicate another illness, especially as seasonal diseases like the flu emerge. It will be critical for symptomatic individuals to avoid all face-to-face interactions and public gatherings regardless of social distancing practices.

Return to Work Following Illness

• Employees who are clinically diagnosed with COVID-19 or receive a positive test result for it must remain isolated based on the recommendations from their health care provider, public health official or until three full symptom-free days have passed, whichever is longer.
  
  
• Employees who report symptoms without a known exposure to COVID-19 must be 24 hours symptom-free before returning to work.
  
  
• All employees must communicate their cleared status to Human Resources and receive guidance prior to returning.

Testing, Investigation and Isolation

Testing
Because universal, frequent testing for all is not practical, not based in science and not feasible in terms of available resources, Rowan will use two different testing strategies.

• Symptomatic testing: Testing for symptomatic students will be available from the Wellness Center on the Glassboro campus. Employees with COVID-19 symptoms will be recommended for testing through either the individual’s health care provider or RowanMedicine. In partnership with Rowan Medicine, employees can also be screened via telehealth visit and be prescribed for testing which can be scheduled for collection by the Wellness Center in Glassboro.
  
  
• Asymptomatic sentinel testing: Students will be selected at random and invited to participate in sentinel screening as a way to monitor the health of our community. Note: Targeted testing for asymptomatic employees who cannot practice social distancing is being considered.
  
  
• Antibody testing: This assessment is not recommended as a strategy to guide return to work/school decisions, however, we will continue to review emerging guidance. If recommendations change, we will bring antibody collection resources to campus to support testing students and staff. 

Contact Investigation

• Through a collaboration with the Gloucester County Health Department, the Wellness Center will train 25 contact tracers to conduct assessments throughout our campuses to help Wellness Center health care professionals make public health recommendations for students and employees.
  
  
• It is critical that students and employees participate in any investigation so we can rapidly isolate ill individuals and quarantine close contacts.
  
  
• To report a positive COVID-19 case, call the Wellness Center at 856-256-4333.

Isolation for Employees and Students

• On campus, we have identified the 218-bed Triad Hall to isolate students should they not be able return home. The coordination of isolation will be initiated by the contact investigation and will be supported by Residential Learning and Housing, the Dean of Students Office, the Wellness Center and Gourmet Dining.
  
  
• Employees will be required to isolate in their homes and follow return to work protocols.

As we anticipate welcoming the Rowan community back to our campuses and resuming activity, we  will continue to provide information to provide guidance and update everyone throughout what may be a months-long process. We appreciate everyone’s continued flexibility and support.

Transporting Sick Students to Essential Appointments
Following standard student wellness policies, Rowan will continue to provide transportation services for residential students to essential appointments via University EMS and Public Safety.