COVID-19 Health and Safety Expectations
Updated July 1, 2020
The following expectations apply on SPU’s campus for all students, employees, contractors, visitors, and other persons while Phase Two of Governor Inslee’s Safe Start Washington is in effect. These expectations may be updated from time to time and will continue to apply until revised or withdrawn, including in other phases of Safe Start Washington. SPU employees and students may also access a copy of SPU’s COVID-19 Exposure Control, Mitigation, and Recovery Plan online, which contains detailed descriptions of SPU’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
If anyone needs to contact SPU Health Services pursuant to the expectations below they can call 206-281-2231. Also, if SPU employees need to contact the Office of Facility and Project Management regarding cleaning or physical facilities on campus, they can call 206-281-2330 or email workcontrol@spu.edu.
Six feet of separation: All persons on SPU’s campus must maintain at least six feet of separation from each other at all times.
Face coverings: The rules for face coverings differ depending on whether or not an individual is an SPU employee on the job and whether an individual is on campus. Examples of face coverings include cloth face masks, scarves, and bandanas.
- Employment Situations: When on the job, all SPU employees must wear face coverings over their noses and mouths except (i) when working alone on campus inside their office with the door closed; (ii) when working outdoors, the job has no in-person interaction, and distance of at least six feet can be maintained from other individuals; (iii) when working from home; or (iii) when the Vice President for Finance and Business Affairs has approved another exception in advance. Employees should not wear N95 masks or other tight-fitting respirators unless approved by the Assistant Vice President for Facility and Project Management, since these masks can raise special regulatory considerations. When on campus but not on the job, SPU employees should follow the guidance described for non-employment situations, below.
- Non-Employment Situations: Unless an exception applies, all individuals must wear face coverings over their noses and mouths when they are (i) inside SPU buildings, or (ii) outdoors on SPU’s campus and cannot maintain distancing of at least six feet from another individual who does not share their household. Individuals on SPU’s campus do not need to wear face coverings if one of the exceptions applies that is listed in Section B of the Face Covering Directive issued by the King County Local Health Officer on May 11, 2020, or if one of the following exceptions applies:
- The individual lives on campus and is inside his or her residential unit (e.g., residence hall room, apartment);
- The individual is eating on campus (consistent with other University policies);
- The individual cannot wear a face covering due to a disability or medical condition; or
- The Vice President for Student Life has approved another exception in advance.
- We understand that wearing a facial covering can impact opportunities for interaction and friendly connection between individuals. Please remember that beneath the facial coverings we are all bearers of God's image, worthy of dignity and respect. May we continue to cultivate a community of belonging and care as we stand against all forms of bias.
Gatherings: All in-person gatherings for social, spiritual, or recreational purposes on campus are prohibited, regardless of size.
In-person academic instruction: In-person instruction of any kind is not permitted unless cleared in advance with Jeff Jordan, Vice President for Student Life, and Cindy Price, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs.
Health self-screening: No person should come to SPU’s campus if any of the following apply:
- Such person is feeling sick, including if such person is experiencing any of the symptoms associated with COVID-19 (e.g., fever, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, muscle aches, or new loss of taste or smell). For this purpose, fever is a temperature of 100.4°F or higher.
- Such person has been in close contact with a confirmed positive case of COVID-19 within the preceding 14 days. If you are unsure whether your exposure constitutes “close contact,” call SPU Health Services to discuss.
- Such person has traveled outside of the United States within the preceding 14 days.
Each person who does not live on campus should perform self-screening each day before coming to campus, and each person who lives on campus should perform self-screening each day before using any campus facilities other than their residential units.
Illness and Exposure — Notifying SPU and avoiding campus:
- Students, employees, contractors, and visitors on SPU’s campus who test positive for COVID-19 should call SPU Health Services for contact tracing purposes.
- If any SPU employee develops symptoms of acute respiratory illness, they must seek medical attention and inform SPU Health Services.
- Employees should report to SPU Health Services as soon as possible if they develop symptoms of COVID-19. If symptoms develop while on campus, the employee should be immediately sent home and should report symptoms to SPU Health Services. If symptoms develop while the employee is not on campus, the employee should not return to work until they have been evaluated by a healthcare provider and cleared for returning to work by SPU Health Services. Contractors on SPU’s campus should follow similar procedures as those outlined in this paragraph for employees (SPU Health Services will not be responsible for clearing contractors to return to work).
- Residential students who become sick should notify SPU Health Services and their Residence Life Coordinator as soon as possible to make appropriate arrangements, which may involve quarantine or isolation on or off-campus.
- If an employee or student has a family member or household member sick with COVID-19, that employee/student must follow the isolation/quarantine requirements as established by the State Department of Health. Employees should inform their supervisors as well as SPU Health Services if they have a sick family member or other household member with COVID-19.
Good Hygiene:
- All persons on SPU’s campus should wash their hands regularly, including before and after going to the bathroom, before and after eating, and after coughing, sneezing, or blowing their nose.
- Employees, students, and contractors must follow hygienic practices, including not touching their faces with unwashed hands or while wearing gloves; washing hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds; using hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol; cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces on campus such as workstations, keyboards, telephones, handrails, machines, shared tools, elevator control buttons, and doorknobs; covering their mouths and noses when coughing or sneezing; and other hygienic recommendations by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
Government Guidance: SPU students, employees, and contractors should seek to follow all other applicable government rules and regulations, including the “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” proclamation issued by Governor Inslee while it is in effect.
Enforcement: Deans should monitor faculty activities, supervisors should monitor employee activities in their areas, and employees who oversee contractors or interact with students or visitors should monitor their activities for compliance with the expectations described above on campus. SPU students, employees, contractors, and visitors will not be permitted to remain on campus if they do not comply with the expectations stated above.