CMC COVID-19 Protocols – August 29, 2022

This is a living document that will continue to be updated as CDC, CDPH, and CalOSHA provide guidelines for COVID-19 mitigation and management.

This document is our written COVID-19 prevention program.

California SB 114, COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave (SPSL)

This new law has been enacted. This law provides up to 80 hours of paid leave entitlement to employees who are unable to work or telework due to qualifying reasons related to COVID-19 from January 1, 2022, through September 30, 2022. Employees who take qualifying COVID-19 leave during this time should mark their timesheet with the sick time taken, and on the right-hand side identify the sick time as for COVID-19. Employees who had sick time for COVID-19 in January who did not mark it as such on their timesheet should please contact their supervisor about making this change.

Masks/Handwashing/Sanitation/General Information

CMCCD will comply with Cal/OSHA, CDC, CDPH, current guidance.

No face coverings are required (except during outbreaks or when exposed to a confirmed COVID case), regardless of vaccination status.

In the case of a future outbreak or mask requirement, the district will notify all impacted employees and students and will change protocols based on the latest guidance and conditions.

CMC will continue to provide employees with masks for when working indoors or in a vehicle with others.

Employees who choose or are required to wear a facemask may provide their own face mask provided the mask meets the Cal/OSHA definition of a mask or face covering which is a tightly-woven fabric or nonwoven material with no visible holes or openings that covers the nose and mouth.

No physical distancing or barrier requirements regardless of employee vaccination status with the following exceptions:

Employers must evaluate whether it is necessary to implement physical distancing and barriers during an outbreak (3 or more cases in an exposed group of employees)

Employers must implement physical distancing and barriers during a major outbreak (20 or more cases in an exposed group of employees)

Employers must evaluate ventilation systems to maximize outdoor air and increase filtrations efficiency, and evaluate the use of additional air cleaning systems

Employees who have questions on face-covering or working accommodations should contact Chief Human Resources Officer Bonnie Bilger, and students should be directed to Dean Jennifer O’Donnell.

We all need to continue to be vigilant in doing our best to protect each other from COVID-19. We do need to make sure that we stay home when we do not feel well. It goes without saying that the use of hand sanitizer and proper handwashing must continue to be done.

We should also consider the possibility that we may need to shift again to fully remote if an outbreak or conditions warrant. We will also need to continue to plan that there will be students and employees who may need to self-isolate and that masks may be required to meet the CDC/CalOSHA guidelines for close contacts.

Employees and Students

The CMC process for screening employees and students and responding to those with COVID-19 symptoms is as follows.

Prior to arriving at work or school each day, every employee or student should take the responsibility to conduct a self-check and determine if they are showing any COVID19 symptoms. Faculty are encouraged to include this link in their syllabi where you will find information on COVID-19 symptoms and a self-check tool. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2 0 1 9-ncov/sympt o m s-testing/symptoms.h t m l

Non-contact temperatures may be taken at the discretion of the instructor, supervisor or laboratory instructor.

It is the shared responsibility of all of us to keep each other safe. Employees and students who have symptoms should not attend in person or if they become sick during the day should immediately be separated from other individuals and sent home. Employees and students who develop symptoms outside of work should notify their supervisor or instructor and stay home.

Classroom Protocols

If there is a confirmed COVID case within a classroom, all people who attended class during the infected person’s infectious period will be considered a “close contact”, under the new CDC/CalOSHA definition. A “close contact” is now “someone sharing the same, smaller or confined indoor airspace, e.g., home, clinic waiting room, office, airplane etc., for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period during an infected person’s infectious period.”

If this occurs, exposed students and employees will be notified and must follow CDPH/CalOSHA Guidance for Close Contacts and must wear face coverings around others for a total of 10 days after exposure.

Each classroom will have masks available and will also have cleaning supplies if there is an area that students or staff feel need additional attention. If there is shared equipment within the class, please use the supplies to sanitize the shared equipment between users.

If a COVID breakout occurs, in-person course sections must move to remote instruction for a minimum of 10 days from the confirmation of the case.

Faculty must accommodate the needs of students who need to self-isolate. Faculty should establish and relate communication criteria required of students to initiate COVID-related accommodations. This should be included in the syllabus, if possible.

Ventilation

HVAC economizers have been adjusted to increase the outside air volume, and doors and windows may be left open at the discretion of the faculty and staff. The air filtration system has been upgraded to provide the characteristics of a MERV 13 rating.

Due to high heat, some of these changes may need to be adjusted to maintain a comfortable learning environment.

Travel and Fieldtrips

CDC prevention measures continue to apply to all employees and students who travel for work or field trips.

COVID-19 Exposure, Isolation and Quarantine, Reporting by students and employees and District Communication

If a student, faculty, or staff member experiences symptoms of COVID-19 they are to stay at home, seek medical attention and contact their primary care provider, or make an appointment to be tested and immediately communicate with their instructor or supervisor. Sick faculty, staff, or students should not return to any of the College facilities, or end isolation until they have met CDC’s criteria to discontinue home isolation. When you can be around others (end home isolation) depends on different factors for different situations. See the chart below for your situation.

Definitions

The following amends a number of the terms used in the regulations, including revising the definition for “close contact” “COVID-19 test,” removing the definition for “fully vaccinated,” and adding a definition for “returned case.”

“Fully vaccinated”

The updated ETS removes the definition for the term “fully vaccinated,” as well as all references to the term in the regulation.

As a result of this change, the amended regulations no longer distinguish between employees based on their vaccination status, including on such subjects as the use of face coverings, the provision of respirators, and the testing of symptomatic employees.

“Returned case”

The updated regulations add a new term, “returned case,” which refers to a COVID-19 case who has returned to work pursuant to the applicable return to work criteria. The ETS considers an employee to be a “returned case” for 90 days after the initial onset of COVID-19 symptoms or, if the person never developed COVID-19 symptoms, for 90 days after the first positive test.

“Close Contact”

A “close contact” is now “someone sharing the same, smaller or confined indoor airspace, e.g., home, clinic waiting room, office, airplane etc., for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period during an infected person’s infectious period.”

“Airspace”

Private or single occupancy areas are smaller spaces contained within a larger indoor space that are separated by floor-to-ceiling walls are defined as NOT part of the same indoor airspace as the rest of the building. These smaller spaces may include classrooms, suites, rooms, waiting areas, bathrooms, or break or eating areas. So while people may be in the same building, if there are walls between the work areas, they are not defined as the same airspace, unless sharing one of the smaller areas.

Larger indoor settings that are not divided into smaller spaces MAY or MAY NOT constitute a shared indoor airspace. These settings may include libraries, open-floor-plan offices, warehouses, gymnasiums, retail stores, or manufacturing or food-processing facilities. In those cases, determination of shared airspace is done on a case-by-case basis, considering the duration and proximity of the contact, regardless of the specific task of the employees or students. Proximity and length of exposure are key to this determination.

Return to Work Criteria for COVID-19 Cases

CalOSHA has updated the return to work criteria for COVID-19 cases, establishing two different return to work criteria based on whether the employee is symptomatic and whether their symptoms are resolving.

Employees with No Symptoms or with Symptoms that are Resolving

For an employee who never developed symptoms or whose symptoms are resolving, the amended regulations require that the employee satisfy the following criteria in order to return to work:

Five days have passed from the date that symptoms began or, if no symptoms developed, from the date of the first positive COVID-19 test;

At least 24 hours have passed since the employee’s fever, if any, has resolved without the use of fever reducing medications; and

Either (a) the employee produces a negative COVID-19 test from a specimen collected no earlier than the fifth day following the first positive test, or (b) the employees has waited 10 days from the first presentation of COVID-19 symptoms or, if the person did not develop symptoms, from the date of the first positive COVID-19 test.

Employees with Symptoms That Are Not Resolving

For an employee whose symptoms are not resolving, the amended ETS requires that the employee satisfy the following criteria in order to return to work:

At least 24 hours have passed since a fever has resolved without the use of fever reducing medications; and

Either (a) the employee’s symptoms are resolving, or the employees has waited 10 days from the first presentation of COVID-19 symptoms.

The amended regulations require that all employees who had COVID-19 wear a face covering in the workplace until at least 10 days have passed since the first presentation of COVID-19 symptoms or, if the employee did not develop symptoms, from the date of the employee’s first positive COVID-19 test.

Isolation, quarantine, and Return to Work or School

The chart below reflects the new California Department of Public Health (CDPH) isolation and quarantine periods guidance from May 6, 2022, which overrides the Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Prevention Emergency Temporary Standards in certain circumstances and applies to both students and employees at Copper Mountain College.

Table 1: Exclusion Requirements for 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* 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 to 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.

Table 2: CDPH Guidance for Close Contacts – Employees Who Are Exposed to Someone with COVID-19. (Applies to All Employees Except those in High-Risk Settings)

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 tests positive for COVID- 19, they must follow the isolation requirements above in Table 1.
	•	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.

The district will also ask employees or students with confirmed COVID diagnosis and have been on campus to identify where they were, what classes they have been in, and who they may have been in close contact with. Faculty will be asked to identify and communicate with classmates that may have been in close contact with a student who tests positive for COVID and to report the case to their dean.

If the District is aware of individuals that have had close contact with a person diagnosed with COVID-19, that individual will be instructed to follow CDC/CalOSHA guidance.

The district will communicate directly with identified close contacts of confirmed cases and provide a general communication to the College.

Testing is available weekly on campus (Thursday’s 1:30-2:30. in Room #119).

Employees or students may have been exposed if they are a “close contact” of someone who is/was infected. “Close contact” is now “someone sharing the same, smaller or confined indoor airspace, e.g., home, clinic waiting room, office, airplane etc., for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period during an infected person’s infectious period.”

Potentially exposed employees and students should follow CDC/CDPH recommended steps.

Employees with questions regarding leave should check with Human Resources. Students with questions regarding assignments should check with their instructor.

Vaccination information:

For information about vaccinations, residents of San Bernardino County may call (909) 387- 3911 or email: coronavirus@DPH.sbcounty.gov

A Shared Responsibility

Building custodial staff will continue to clean and disinfect campus buildings more frequently. However, it is impossible for custodial staff alone to perform these functions with the frequency and extent needed to combat the novel coronavirus. Every member of the CMC community has a joint responsibility for sanitation in their own work area and when using shared resources (i.e. meeting rooms, commonly touched surfaces, etc.)

So, it’s a collective effort. But, who is responsible for what?

What surfaces are not Cleaned/Sanitized/Disinfected by Custodians?

Personal workstations – surface, drawers, shelves, cabinets, etc.
Electronics – keyboards, mice, screens, copiers, phones, etc.
Equipment – Lab equipment, etc.
Books, papers, files, art, etc.

These areas should be cleaned regularly by the users and between users if they are shared resources with the cleaning supplies that are provided. Please wipe down shared items before and after use.

Training and Employee Benefits

CMC offers online COVID-19 training, and regular communication with updates from the CDC, CDPH, Chancellors Office, Governor’s Office, and County Office of Health, to ensure that all employees are informed of COVID-19 transmission, symptoms, and quarantine requirements, physical distancing, mask policies, and the importance of staying home when sick.

COVID-19 training and prevention documents are available to all employees, students, independent contractors, vendors, etc. who may come on the campus.

If you have exhausted your accruals due to COVID-19, please contact Bonnie Bilger, Chief Human Resources Officer or Loya Howell, Payroll Services Specialist, to see if you are eligible for differential pay, catastrophic leave, California disability benefits, or CalSTRS disability.

Living Document

As guidance is updated from the State, CDC, CDPH, Local Health Officials, and the Community College Chancellors Office, we will continue to modify and learn the best practices and protocols for managing this pandemic.

Remember that we have not done this before. We need to work together more than we ever have before. We will learn together, practice together, and succeed together for the best learning environment for our student’s success and the health and safety of all of us.

COVID Guidelines & Contact Information