Working Together | CUI Together | Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Preparing for Spring 2021

Resources for Employees

We want to reassure our employees that we take your health and well-being seriously during the ongoing pandemic. By following these guidelines, we exhibit love and concern for each member of our community, and we model how to “love your neighbor.” We thank you in advance for your cooperation, and we pray for your continued safety and well-being.

Resources

Topics

On-Campus Experience

Sanitation & Cleaning

Vaccination Information

Daily Health Monitoring

COVID-19 Testing & Exposure

Privacy Matters

Work Accommodations

Physical Distancing

Spiritual Life on Campus

On-Campus Experience

Employees are encouraged to follow the following guidelines when they return to on-campus work:

Female nursing students washing their hands

Proper Handwashing Techniques

Employees should follow best practices for physical distancing by maintaining at least 6 feet of distance between individuals and, in cases where that is not possible, to wear a face mask.

The University encourages offices to continue to conduct business electronically, including team meetings, whenever possible, even after employees return to on-campus work environments.

Employees are encouraged to limit use of shared office supplies and to wipe down shared equipment such as phones and printers using university-provided sanitizing wipes between users.

Sanitation & Cleaning

Cleaning services were increased back in March before campus was closed. Contracted cleaning services will continue to provide regular cleaning and sanitation services that meet or exceed CDC guidelines. University Services will supply additional cleaning supplies and procedures.

Vaccination Information

We are committed to keeping our employee community apprised with information regarding vaccine availability. Educators and school staff, who are eligible for vaccination under California's Sector 1B, can pre-register on several available vaccine registration platforms:

Contact your PCP or insurance health group
Orange County Public Health sign-up: Othena
California sign-up page: MyTurn CA
Pharmacies including CVS, Rite Aid, and Walgreens are also offering appointments

Vaccine Finder

Individuals may sign up on multiple platforms. Once Sector 1B opens for educators and school staff, those who have signed up on a platform will be notified that they are eligible to make an appointment. Individuals will be directed to one of several sites in the County for a vaccination appointment.

Concordia University Irvine remains in close weekly contact with the Orange County Health Agency regarding the vaccine rollout for Sector 1B, and we are committed to communicating accurate and approved information with our employees as soon as vaccines become available for our group. As a reminder, the choice to vaccinate lies with each individual employee and receiving the vaccine is not a requirement for employment with Concordia.

Daily Health Monitoring

Employees are required to complete a daily health assessment. All employees are highly encouraged to download a symptom checker app, such as the COVID-19 Screening Tool for Apple or the CDC app for Apple and Android, as a tool to check symptoms prior to coming to work each day. Employees must also check their temperature before reporting to on-campus work.

If an employee exhibits any of the symptoms indicated on the CDC website or app, they SHOULD NOT come to the campus. The following steps should be taken:

Report your condition to Human Resources immediately using the Self-Reporting Form.
Stay home until 10 days since symptoms first appeared and 24 hours with no fever (without the use of fever-reducing medicine) and symptoms have improved.
Contact your medical provider immediately for further guidance on care and possible COVID-19 testing.

If you are instructed to stay home because you have any of the COVID symptoms as outlined by the CDC guidelines, please refer to the HR FAQ which will be posted in the COVID-19 section in the employee portal in Blackboard.

COVID-19 Testing & Exposure

Employees should use the criteria below to determine how to proceed if they have symptoms or are diagnosed with COVID-19, if they have been exposed to COVID-19.

I think or know I had COVID-19, and I had symptoms.

You can be with others after:

24 hours with no fever and
Symptoms improved and
10 days since symptoms first appeared

I tested positive for COVID-19 but had no symptoms.

If you continue to have no symptoms, you can be with others after:

10 days have passed since test

If you develop symptoms after testing positive, follow the guidance above for “I think or know I had COVID-19, and I had symptoms.”

I have a weakened immune system (immunocompromised) due to a health condition or medication. When can I be around others?

People with conditions that weaken their immune system might need to stay home longer than 10 days. Talk to your healthcare provider for more information. If testing is available in your community, it may be recommended by your healthcare provider.

Exposure

Any employee who has had close contact with a co-worker or any other person who is diagnosed with COVID-19 should quarantine for 14 days after the last/most recent contact with the infectious individual and should seek a COVID-19 test at a state or local government testing center, healthcare center, or other testing locations. All other employees should be on alert for symptoms of fever, cough, or shortness of breath and taking temperature if symptoms develop. Close contact includes household contacts, intimate contacts, or contacts within 6 ft. for 15 minutes or longer over a 24-hour period.

Employees must complete the COVID-19 Self Reporting Form if:

They have tested positive for COVID-19.
They have an assumed case of COVID-19. Individuals may have met with a healthcare professional who believes they have COVID-19 but haven't been tested or are awaiting the results.
They have been exposed to someone with a confirmed case or someone with an assumed case of COVID-19.
Or have recovered from a confirmed or assumed case of COVID-19.

Reporting Students with COVID-19 Infection

If you learn that a student has tested positive for SARS CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, please send an email to [email protected] with the student name and contact info. The same procedure applies for a student who had exposure to a confirmed positive case.

Your Privacy Matters

The privacy of our students and employees is very important to us. Health information is legally protected by FERPA privacy rules. We want all our community members to know that their health and self-reporting information is kept confidential. Positive COVID-19 test results will only be shared with authorized health care providers, employees trained to do contact tracing, personnel who will provide support and assistance to students in isolation, and our local Orange County Health Care Agency, which tracks all local cases of COVID-19 infection. To learn more about how we protect your health information, visit cui.edu/COVID-19.

When a student or employee reports a confirmed or suspected case of infectious illness (seasonal flu, meningitis, COVID-19, etc.), the Wellness Center (for students) and Human Resources (for employees) alert close contacts who have been exposed so that they can begin quarantine and possibly pursue testing. The name of the person who is ill is not disclosed. It is up to an individual if they want to disclose their health status with close friends, professors, and other contacts, but this should only be done after notifying the Wellness Center or filling out the Self-Reporting form.

For students, the Wellness Center will contact professors to let them know that a student will not be attending class. For close contacts who must quarantine, professors will be notified that the student needs to take classes fully online until the period of quarantine is completed. Students should also contact their professors directly to let them know if they cannot attend class in person due to an illness or possible exposure. Professors will work with students on attending remotely and, if needed, on accommodations for completing course requirements.

For employees, after they fill out the Self-Reporting form, they may notify their supervisor of illness or the need to quarantine, or they may ask Human Resources to do so for them. Human Resources will work with supervisors to arrange for remote work or teaching.

Please remember to respect the privacy of our community members and do not disclose the health issues of others.

Work Accommodations

The University recognizes that there are employees who may be eligible, for a variety of reasons, for accommodations related to working on campus. Accommodations may apply, but are not limited to, individuals who are in high risk categories (e.g. age, underlying health conditions) or employees with childcare needs due to school/ childcare facility closures. Employees are able to request an accommodation by submitting the online Accommodation Request Form. Supporting documentation should also be submitted with the request, where applicable. Employees approved for an accommodation to work from home will need to complete a Temporary Telework Agreement. This would extend or supersede any previously submitted agreements.

The Office of Human Resources will review all accommodation requests in consultation with individual employees and their supervisors. The Office of Human Resources will communicate the status of all accommodation requests via email to individual employees and their supervisors and/or schedule a follow up meeting to discuss all accommodation requests.

Physical Distancing

You will observe some changes to the campus when you return in the coming weeks. Plexiglass shields are installed at customer-facing stations such as Undergraduate Admissions and Academic Advising. Shields will also be installed at the podiums in every classroom to provide protection for the professor while also allowing students to see their professors speak. This will be helpful for students with auditory limitations.

There is signage throughout the campus to assist with directional flow in and around buildings to allow for physical distancing. In addition, shared offices, conference rooms, and other shared spaces will be reconfigured and/or have seating removed to allow for physical distancing and to maintain appropriate capacity in these shared spaces.

Spiritual Life on Campus

Spiritual life remains an important part of our campus life and community. God blesses us through his ministry even in challenging times. We encourage every member of our community to use the wonderful resources of our campus ministry.

Chapel

M, Tu, Th, F (10:30-11:00 am) - Virtual

Daily chapel is purposefully designed to serve everyone in our CUI community. It is our hope that students, no matter what their background, can join others during the week at these chapel experiences.

This year our chapels will follow a pattern which Martin Luther suggested comprises the proper way to study theology. In Latin, the terms are: oratio, meditatio, and tentatio. We will adapt these slightly to this sequence:

Monday Chapel
We begin the week by meditating on God’s Word to us (meditatio). The focus most of this semester will be going verse by verse through Paul’s letter to the Philippians. Our theme passage encourages us, even in uncertain times, to "shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life" (Philippians 2:15b-16).
Tuesday Chapel
Prayer (oratio) is our response based upon a Psalm related to the Philippians reading. After an overview of the Psalm, we will pray it together, followed by 5 minutes for journaling or private/small group prayer. Our theme verses are Philippians 4:6-7: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Thursday Chapel
Tentatio comprises spiritual struggle. A brief devotion based upon Monday’s reading from Philippians will lead to life application questions to be discussed in small groups (10 minutes). Our theme verse is Philippians 1:29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake.
Friday Chapel
We added imitatio to wrap up the week with personal testimonies of faith from various members of CUI’s community. The theme verse is Philippians 3:17 where Paul writes, "Join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us” (Philippians 3:17). Of course, behind this appeal is 1 Corinthians 11:1, "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ."

Pastoral Care will continue without interruption and will follow safety protocols. We are here to assist you.

Small Groups and Bible Studies can be held with a limit of ten participants in each group. Physical distancing will be observed.

Mission Trips are currently on hold for safety reasons. Trips and service opportunities will be reviewed on an individual basis as restrictions begin to lift.