COVID-19 Guidance for Workforce Members

Updated 11/4/2022

What to Do If You Test COVID Positive or Have Symptoms

If you are a UConn Health employee who has:

• COVID-19 symptoms,
• Flu or seasonal allergy symptoms, or
• Tested positive for COVID-19

Which decision chart applies to you depends upon whether you are:

• An employee who is required onsite to mitigate critical staffing shortages (See Clinical and Clinical Support Employees); or
• An employee who is not required onsite to mitigate critical staffing shortages (See All Other Employees)

Please follow these guidelines when you have COVID-19 symptoms, flu, or seasonal allergy symptoms, or a high-risk exposure.

When to Contact the COVID-19 Call Center

All UConn Health workforce members and students should continue to call the UConn Health COVID-19 Call Center at 860-679-3199 whenever one of these scenarios applies:

1. They have symptoms that are associated with either COVID, flu, or seasonal allergies.
2. They test positive for COVID.
3. The have had a high-risk exposure*

*A “high-risk exposure” is defined as being within 6 feet of someone who is (or turns out to be) COVID-positive, for at least 15 minutes over a 24-hour period of time, if either of you is not masked. Please note, this is regardless of your vaccination status, and applies even to those who are considered critical, front-line members of our workforce.

Clinical and clinical support employees who are required to work onsite – particularly those who are scheduled to work in the next 24 hours – should continue to contact the Call Center at 860-679-3199.

Important Highlights

Do Not Come to Work If You Have Symptoms or Test Positive. Stay home and use your regular call-out procedures if you are home. If you are at work, continue wearing your mask at all times and notify your supervisor so you can coordinate going home as soon as possible.

Know If Your Position Is One That Is Required On-Site to Mitigate Critical Staffing Shortages. This is determined by your senior leadership. Ask your manager if you don’t know your status. In general, Workforce Members who are in clinical and clinical support roles who are required to work on-site fall into this category. UConn Health has two different decision charts – one that applies to clinical/clinical support roles required on-site to mitigate critical staffing shortages; and another that applies to all other Workforce Members, since different guidelines apply to these two groups.

Any Member of Our Workforce Who Tests Positive for COVID-19 Must Stay Away From Work for a Period of Time. This will depend on your symptoms and whether your role requires you to work on-site to mitigate critical staffing shortages.

Workforce Members Who Have Experienced a High-Risk Exposure May Be Able to Continue Working with certain precautions. A “high-risk exposure” means you were 6 feet or closer to someone who is COVID positive for 15 minutes or more during a 24 hour period while at least one person is unmasked. Different standards may apply if you have a continuous high-risk exposure, such as a situation where you cannot effectively quarantine from the COVID positive individual who is a dependent household member and cannot isolate. Please call the COVID Call Center to receive individualized guidance post exposure.

Calculating Return-to-Work Days: For those who are COVID positive, Day 0 = the date of symptom onset or positive test (if asymptomatic). For those with high-risk exposure, Day 0 = the date of most recent high-risk exposure.