COVID-19 Guidelines

As noted in an Aug. 8 letter to the campus community, please follow these guidelines for the fall semester. 

Guidelines for all in the community

• The university strongly encourages COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters. Visit Vaccinate Virginia for vaccination sites in the commonwealth. 
• To view local COVID data and learn more about recommended actions based on the current level of community transmission, visit the CDC COVID Data Tracker website.
• Masking is always welcome anywhere at Virginia Tech, and the last few years have clearly shown that masks dramatically reduce the spread of airborne infections, including COVID-19. Masks are required in Schiffert Health Center and the EHS Occupational Health Clinic. 
• Virginia Tech maintains a limited inventory and will continue to provide free KN95 respirators to students and employees. Pick up locations are available across the Blacksburg campus, and masks are also available from Rec Sports during group activities (e.g. yoga, group exercise programs).
  • Squires Student Center, at the information desk.
  • McComas Hall, at the university recreation check-in desk.
  • North End Center, in the main entrance lobby.
  • Newman Library, lobby of the Alumni Mall entrance.
  • Public Safety Building, Virginia Tech Police Department security center desk (continue straight through the double doors).
  • Student Services Building, in the Hokie Passport Services lobby.
  • Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, in the café, Dock C, and VMIA entrance
• Do not attend work or gatherings if you are sick. Test if you suspect COVID-19.
  
• Employees are encouraged to visit the VDH website to find free COVID-19 testing sites throughout Virginia. Kits may also be obtained through participating community libraries. Virginia Tech Human Resources will maintain a small inventory of test kits to meet unforeseen circumstances; employees can contact the HR Service Center for more information.
• The university will also provide at-home rapid tests to students through Schiffert Health Center.
• If you are advised that you are a close contact of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, the next steps depend on your vaccination status. Visit the VDH’s Isolation & Quarantine Calculator for information.

Guidelines for employees

• You are no longer required to email reportacase@vt.edu, or contact EHS Case Managers if you have tested positive or believe you have been a close contact of someone who has tested positive. Virginia Tech will no longer offer case management services for employees or students, or publish the COVID-19 Dashboard; however, reportacase@vt.edu will remain available during fall semester for employee questions.
• The Virginia Department of Health calls for any COVID-19-positive person to isolate for at least five days and notify close contacts. Visit the VDH Isolation & Quarantine Calculator for more information. 
• Do not attend work or events at Virginia Tech for at least five days or as long as you are sick. Follow the university’s sick-time policies. 
• Virginia no longer offers Public Health Emergency Leave (PHEL). If you are out because of a COVID-19 diagnosis, please use sick or other appropriate leave. 
• If you feel able to work and your position allows you to work remotely, please coordinate with your supervisor, dean, or chair as appropriate. 

Guidelines for students

• Schiffert Health Center will serve as the best resource for care and information
• We no longer offer isolation/quarantine housing, and we will not move COVID-19 positive students from their rooms. Therefore, it is critical that all residential students work with their families and their roommate(s) to develop a plan in advance should they or their roommate become infected with COVID-19.
• If you or your roommate(s) become infected with COVID-19:
  • Those infected should immediately begin wearing a mask if symptomatic for COVID-19 and continue doing so in all campus facilities—including inside the residence halls (including rooms) for ten days and until symptoms improve.
  • Execute your COVID-19 isolation plan; students may choose to return home while they or their roommate is positive for COVID-19
  • Contact the Schiffert Health Center and the Dean of Students Office to implement your plan or to discern alternative solutions as needed

Guidelines for faculty responding to student illness

• Virginia Tech students who test positive for COVID-19 need to isolate and not attend in-person classes for at least five days. Visit the VDH’s Isolation & Quarantine website for additional information.  Students should seek absence verification from the Dean of Students.
• Please accommodate students who need to miss class for a short period of time, as with any other illness. If you have a group of students who are out, you might consider recording lectures and/or using other means to provide instructional content.
• It is essential that faculty respect the medical privacy of students who have tested positive for COVID-19 or have been identified as a close contact. Please do not share with the class that a student is in quarantine or isolation, nor make testing or other recommendations based on that information. 
• Resources are available for facilitating student access to academic activities in virtual environments. Visit Continuity in Teaching and Learning to learn more.