NinerNotice: Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update – March 6

UNC Charlotte’s top priority is the health and safety of our students, faculty and staff. The University continues to monitor the rapidly-evolving situation regarding coronavirus (COVID-19). There are no suspected or confirmed cases of coronavirus at UNC Charlotte or the immediate surrounding area. Here are the latest decisions by the University Changes to self-quarantine recommendations: Out of an abundance of caution, the University is expanding its recommendation for self-quarantine for travelers. If any of the following situations apply to you, you are strongly encouraged to self-quarantine for 14 days and avoid returning to campus until after that time. These include:

• Recently returning from any country with a Level-2 or Level-3 warning from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
• Being in close contact with anyone who has traveled to one of the above areas or anyone who has been ordered to quarantine because of exposure to the virus

Information about self-quarantine

• Stay home. Do not come to campus. This will protect your health and the health of others. If you experience symptoms during quarantine, notify your healthcare provider right away.
• You should self-quarantine for 14 days.
• Notify the Student Health Center at 704-687-7400 to alert the University you are self-quarantining. Please note: This notification is for campus health reasons. It does not replace notifying others. For that information, see below.
• Students: If you are ordered by health officials or asked by the University to self-quarantine, you should proactively contact your instructors to request accommodation. Documentation of travel to an affected area may be required. Instructors have been asked to provide maximum flexibility to any student who has been asked to self-quarantine in order for them to complete class requirements.
• Faculty: If you are ordered by health officials or asked by the University to self-quarantine, you should consult the UNC Charlotte Academic Procedure: Schedule Interruption Guidelines and contact your department head to discuss alternative arrangements. Additionally, you should contact your students to update them. More guidance is available online. If your student is asked to quarantine, please use your best judgment and provide maximum flexibility in assessing their necessary absence to help keep classrooms healthy spaces. If you need additional guidance, the Dean of Students Office is available to provide support.
• Staff: If you are asked by the University to self-quarantine and not ordered by health officials, you should notify your supervisor. Per policy, missed time should be accounted for through comp time, sick leave or vacation time, or made up. Teleworking is also possible with approval of the supervisor. Consult the Flexible Work and Telework Arrangements for Employees and the ITS Standard for Teleworking for additional information. If you are ordered by public health officials to self-quarantine, you should notify your supervisor. Per policy, missed time is forgiven. In both situations of self-quarantine, documentation of travel to an affected area may be required.

Changes to University-sponsored travel

:

• Countries with a Level-3 CDC warning: As previously communicated, all University-sponsored travel to countries with a Level-3 CDC warning is canceled.
• Countries with a Level-2 CDC warning: Anyone with University-sponsored travel is strongly encouraged to reconsider this trip. If you cancel, the University will ensure your costs are recovered. If you choose not to cancel, you will be subject to self-quarantine upon your return.
• All other travel: Anyone with University-sponsored travel who has concerns about continuing with their plans should cancel regardless of the destination. The University will ensure your costs that cannot be refunded are recovered.
• An important note: This is a rapidly evolving situation. Please monitor the CDC website for the latest countries with Level-3 and Level-2 warnings. Faculty and staff, please contact travel@uncc.edu for any questions regarding your University-sponsored travel costs or reimbursement. Students, please contact your trip organizer for any questions regarding travel costs or reimbursement.

Events and visitors on campus:

• Visitors to campus: For the health of our campus, please inform any planned visitors of the guidance for self-quarantine outlined above and reconsider their visit to campus until this situation is resolved.
• Events: At this time, no decision has been made about campus events. However, this is a rapidly evolving situation. The University is continuing to monitor guidance from the CDC and state and local health officials. We will communicate with campus if changes to events are needed.

Stay home if you are sick from cold and flu, too:

If you are sick with a respiratory illness, like a cold or the flu, limit contact with others as much as possible to help prevent spreading the infection to others. This is especially important since the symptoms of these viruses are similar to those of coronavirus (COVID-19). They include coughing, sneezing, fever and sore throat. Stay home when exhibiting symptoms and for at least 24 hours after a fever is gone (without the use of a fever-reducing medicine) except to seek medical care. Faculty have been instructed to offer maximum flexibility to students, and employees should have sick leave to account for any necessary absence. Please protect your health and the health of your fellow Niners. What else the University is doing Sanitizing campus spaces: The University is taking additional sanitizing measures throughout campus. Learn more in this FAQ. Continuing to monitor the situation: This is a fast-moving and fluid situation. The Office of Emergency Management (OEM) continues to lead a cross-divisional team that is monitoring the situation locally and around the world. Visit the Emergency Management website to learn more. Streamlining questions: An inquiry form has been created to help streamline questions from the campus community. What else you should doContinue to practice good hygiene: WASH YOUR HANDS for at least 20 seconds, cover coughs and sneezes, and avoid sharing food, cups or utensils. This also helps prevent the spread of cold, flu and other illnesses. You are also encouraged to clean your own areas, such as countertops, doorknobs, electronics, etc. for added protection. Consider a new greeting: Avoid handshakes and consider different ways to say hello and goodbye. A pickaxe with your hand makes a great greeting for your fellow Niners. Also consider an elbow bump, a wave or a simple smile and nod. Review the University’s FAQ: The University is maintaining an FAQ page on the Emergency Management website. It has sections for faculty, staff, students and families and will continue to be updated until this situation is resolved.