Expectations of Faculty and Staff while on Campus Archives

Members of the President’s Council will work with Department Directors and Department Chairs to ensure that established social distancing and hygiene practices (listed below) are maintained by faculty and staff.

• Faculty and staff should limit close personal contact and maintain a minimum 6-foot distance apart.
• Faculty and staff in individual offices should consider working with office doors shut, and must do so if they intend to remove their mask.
• Faculty and staff should engage in frequent hand washing, the use of hand sanitizer, and sanitizing of surfaces regularly:
  • Wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds as frequently as feasible.
  • Use hand sanitizer after interactions with people or objects, if soap and water are not readily available.
  • Cover coughs and sneezes into the sleeve or elbow, not hands.
  • Clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces (buttons, door handles, counters, workstations, keyboards, telephones, handrails, etc.) regularly. Physical Plant will provide disinfecting wipes or sprays for computer labs, classrooms, and public spaces for individuals to clean surfaces regularly.
  • Avoid touching your face.
  • Refrain from shaking hands and other close physical contact.
• Faculty and staff are required to wear a mask or cloth face-covering that covers his or her mouth and nose at all times.
• Faculty and staff should avoid using other employees’ phones, desks, offices, or other work tools and equipment, when possible. If necessary, clean and disinfect them before and after use.
• Faculty and staff should limit the number of people at gatherings, ensuring that Illinois law is followed. Examples include:
  • When in-person meetings are necessary, no more than the number of people defined in Illinois law by the Governor’s order should be present, and physical distancing should be in place.
  • Video conferencing and conference calls can be used instead of in-person meetings.
  • No events, meetings, or gatherings will be approved that include more than what Illinois law defines.
  • Please note that the multi-person limit on gatherings includes other personnel that may be present in that space.
• Faculty and staff should remain mindful of physical distancing in small spaces including elevators, hallways, stairwells, and restrooms.
• Faculty and staff should eat in a location that allows for appropriate physical distancing (e.g. outdoors, in an enclosed or private space, in an office with the door closed, etc.).

Note: All visitors to campus, including contractors, vendors, guest speakers, etc., will be expected to follow these guidelines.

The health and safety of employees is our highest priority. All Trinity faculty and staff are now required to wear a mask or cloth face-covering that covers his or her mouth and nose at all times* while on campus. Trinity employees should bring their own masks when they return to work at campus. A limited number of masks will also be available on campus, should an employee not have a mask.

*Please note the following exceptions:

• Employees who work on their own in an enclosed space (e.g., their own office) are permitted to remove their mask if they are seated at least six feet from the doorway and close the door. However, they must wear their mask or face covering at all other times.
• Employees who wish to eat or drink may remove their mask to do so, provided they are situated six feet away from others, perform the necessary hand hygiene, and replace the mask when they are done.

Face masks are not required in outdoor settings where safe gathering practices and social distancing are possible and in practice; for example, walks in open spaces. However, in outdoor settings where it is not possible to social distance or follow safe gathering practices, face masks do need to be worn on campus.

Please note:
This policy is an addition to our previous communications regarding preventing the spread of COVID-19. All College advice on remote work and social distancing remains in place. Please continue to practice social distancing even when wearing a mask.

Physical Plant will provide daily cleaning of classrooms, breakrooms, bathrooms, and public spaces. Additionally, all employees will be required to exercise caution and continue physical distancing and personal hygiene practices in order to protect themselves and other from the spread of the coronavirus as per the guidelines below. All employees will be asked to daily monitor their own health. (Resource: #CampusClear app)

If you are sick with COVID-19 or think you might have COVID-19, follow the steps below to care for yourself and to help protect other people in your home and community.

• Stay home.  Most people with COVID-19 have mild illness and can recover at home without medical care. Do not leave your home, except to get medical care. Do not visit public areas.
• Take care of yourself. Get rest and stay hydrated. Take over-the-counter medicines, such as acetaminophen, to help you feel better.
• Stay in touch with your doctor. Call before you get medical care. Be sure to get care if you have trouble breathing, have any other emergency warning signs, or if you think it is an emergency.
• Avoid public transportation, ride-sharing, or taxis.

As much as possible, stay in a specific room and away from other people and pets in your home. If possible, you should use a separate bathroom. If you need to be around other people or animals in or outside of the home, wear a cloth face covering.

• Symptoms of COVID-19: fever, cough, fatigue, shortness of breath, loss of taste and/or smell, or other symptoms.
• Follow care instructions from your healthcare provider. Your local health authorities may give instructions on checking your symptoms and reporting information.

Look for emergency warning signs* for COVID-19. If someone is showing any of these signs, seek emergency medical care immediately.

• Trouble breathing
• Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
• New confusion
• Inability to wake or stay awake
• Bluish lips or face

*This list does not include all possible symptoms. Please call your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning to you.

Call 911 or call ahead to your local emergency facility: Notify the operator that you are seeking care for someone who has or may have COVID-19.

Call ahead. Many medical visits for routine care are being postponed or done by phone or telemedicine.

• If you have a medical appointment that cannot be postponed, call your doctor’s office and tell them you have or may have COVID-19. This will help the office protect themselves and other patients.
• You should wear a cloth face covering over your nose and mouth if you must be around other people or animals, including pets (even at home)
• You don’t need to wear the cloth face covering if you are alone. If you can’t put on a cloth face covering (because of trouble breathing, for example), cover your coughs and sneezes with your elbow or by using tissues.
• Try to stay at least 6 feet away from other people. This will help protect the people around you.
• Cloth face coverings should not be placed on young children under age 2 years, anyone who has trouble breathing, or anyone who is not able to remove the covering without help.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
• Throw away used tissues in a lined trash can.
• Immediately wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds after coughing or sneezing. If soap and water are not available, clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. This is especially important after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing; going to the bathroom; and before eating or preparing food.
• Use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol, covering all surfaces of your hands and rubbing them together until they feel dry.
• Soap and water are the best option, especially if hands are visibly dirty.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Do not share dishes, drinking glasses, cups, eating utensils, towels, or bedding with other people in your home.
• Wash these items thoroughly after using them with soap and water or put in the dishwasher.
• “Sick room” and bathroom; wear disposable gloves. Let someone else clean and disinfect surfaces in common areas, but you should clean your bedroom and bathroom, if possible.
• If a caregiver or other person needs to clean and disinfect a sick person’s bedroom or bathroom, they should do so on an as-needed basis. The caregiver/other person should wear a mask and disposable gloves prior to cleaning. They should wait as long as possible after the person who is sick has used the bathroom before coming in to clean and use the bathroom.

High-touch surfaces include phones, remote controls, counters, tabletops, doorknobs, bathroom fixtures, toilets, keyboards, tablets, and bedside tables.

• Clean and disinfect areas that may have blood, stool, or body fluids on them.
• Use household cleaners and disinfectants. Clean the area or item with soap and water or another detergent if it is dirty. Then, use a household disinfectant.
  • Be sure to follow the instructions on the label to ensure safe and effective use of the product. Many products recommend keeping the surface wet for several minutes to ensure germs are killed. Many also recommend precautions such as wearing gloves and making sure you have good ventilation during use of the product.
• Employees with confirmed cases of COVID-19 should follow CDC-recommended steps, should use pandemic leave (and sick leave after pandemic leave ends), and should not return to work until the criteria to discontinue home isolationare met, in consultation with healthcare providers and state and local health departments. If you have a confirmed case of COVID-19 and need to take sick time for your illness, contact HR to select the correct type of sick time that does not deduct from your regular sick time bank.
• Employees who are well but who have a family member at home sick with a confirmed case of COVID-19 should notify their supervisor, follow CDC recommended precautions, stay at home, and utilize pandemic leave (and sick leave after pandemic leave ends).