Guidelines for Students
If you are concerned that you may have COVID and are wondering what to do, take a COVID home test and if negative, you may attend class or other campus activities. Retest in 1-2 days. Appointments are available at the Wellness Center for COVID testing. Please note that we do not distribute free home test kits as our supplies are not packaged for individual use.
For students, Concordia University Irvine is following the Orange County Health Officer's & Recommendations for the general public.
- Students who test positive may return to class as early as Day 6 if symptoms are not present or are resolving, and an antigen test collected on day 5 or later comes back negative. The student may end isolation after 10 days regardless of antigen test results.
- Close contacts do not have to quarantine, as long as they continue to test negative.
- Masks are recommended but not required in public indoor settings.
Guidelines for Employees
Following guidance from the State of California Department of Industrial Relations, employees are entitled to up to 80 hours of 2022 COVID-19 related paid sick leave from January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2022, immediately upon request to HR, with up to 40 of those hours available only when an employee or family member tests positive for COVID-19. For more information, please contact [email protected].
Employees Who Test Positive for COVID-19
Requirements apply to all employees, regardless of vaccination status, previous infection, or lack of symptoms.
- Employees who test positive for COVID-19 must be excluded from the workplace for at least 5 days after start of symptoms or after date of first positive test if no symptoms.
- Isolation can end and employees may return to the workplace after day 5 if symptoms are not present or are resolving, and a diagnostic specimen (Antigen test preferred) collected on day 5 or later tests negative.
- If an employee’s test on day 5 (or later) is positive, isolation can end and the employee may return to the workplace after day 10 if they are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medications.
- If an employee is unable or choosing not to test, isolation can end and the employee may return to the workplace after day 10 if they are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medications.
- If an employee has a fever, isolation must continue and the employee may not return to work until 24 hours after the fever resolves without the use of fever reducing medications.
- If an employee’s symptoms other than fever are not resolving, they may not return to work until their symptoms are resolving or until after day 10.
- Employees must wear face coverings around others for a total of 10 days.
Employees Who Are Exposed to Someone with COVID-19
For employees who are asymptomatic. Applies to all employees, regardless of vaccination status.
- Exposed employees must test within three to five days after their last close contact. Persons infected within the prior 90 days do not need to be tested unless symptoms develop.
- Employees must wear face coverings around others for a total of 10 days after exposure.
- If an exposed employee develops symptoms, they must be excluded pending the results of a test.
- If an exposed employee who develops symptoms is unable to test or choosing not to test, they must be excluded until 10 days after the date of symptom onset.
- If an exposed employee tests positive for COVID- 19, they must follow the isolation requirements above.
- If an employee’s symptoms other than fever are not resolving, they may not return to work until their symptoms are resolving or until after day 10.
- Employees are strongly encouraged to get vaccinated and boosted
For employees who are symptomatic. Applies to all employees, regardless of vaccination status.
- Symptomatic employees must be excluded and test as soon as possible. Exclusion must continue until test results are obtained.
- If the employee is unable to test or choosing not to test, exclusion must continue for 10 days.
- If the employee tests negative and returns to work earlier than 10 days after the close contact, the employee must wear a face covering around others for 10 days following the close contact.
- CDPH recommends continuing exclusion and retesting in 1-2 days if testing negative with an antigen test, particularly if tested during the first 1-2 days of symptoms.
- For symptomatic employees who have tested positive within the previous 90 days, using an antigen test is preferred.
Guidance provided by the CA Department of Industrial Relations