COVID-19 Safety�2021-2022 Academic Year

The full safety plan is located at COVID-19 Safety Plans » Highline College .

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Highline College requires COVID-19 vaccinations for the 2021-2022 academic year.

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�Two key COVID safety strategies in winter quarter:�

1. Stay home and get tested if you have COVID symptoms

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2. Up your mask game – Omicron is here

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Consider a high-quality mask or double masking with a cloth face mask worn over a disposable surgical face mask.

Most employees, visitors and students coming on campus wear their own face mask but in case they need one:

• providing disposable surgical face masks and cloth face mask combination to any student, employee or visitor on campus   
•  providing a KN95 face mask to employees teaching in classrooms or with student/visitor service positions
• providing a N95 face mask to employees upon request (we were able to get a limited supply of 1000 for this purpose) 

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Note: as always, a higher-level face mask is provided for employees with a COVID-19 vaccination or high- risk accommodation

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Face Shields

• Designed and made on the Highline Campus through our Physics Department.

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• Available to any employee or student on campus as an extra level of protection to wear with a face mask.

Student Services

• Although our online student services are excellent and meet the needs of many individuals, in fall quarter we saw potential students and enrolled student appreciate having the option of in-person services.
• Coming back on campus in fall quarter these areas incorporated social distancing, use of Plexiglas barriers in high volume areas and in some cases being moved to a larger space, to provide COVID safety.

Winter quarter social distancing and barriers are not required but we are keeping much of this in place as an extra safety measure.

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Academic Courses On Campus

• CAP at 24
• Use larger classrooms
• Course modality flexibility (through 1/28/22)

Case Investigation

• At Highline College we have a team of individuals who have completed training through John Hopkins on case investigation of COVID-19 on campus.
• We work under the approval of King County Public Health and have been able to move very quickly to:
• Provide information to those with COVID-19 on when they can return to campus and refer to needed resources.
• Identify those in close contact, provide information on the quarantine period and refer to needed resources.
• Immediately close areas and disinfect when required

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Being able to move quickly has results in no transmission while dealing with COVID-19 up through fall quarter, that has now changed with Omicron.

Employees and students with approved COVID-19 vaccination exemptions for medical or sincerely held religious beliefs have been provided accommodations for on campus.

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This provides an extra level of safety for the individual and helps prevent possible spread throughout the campus.

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Approved COVID-19 vaccination exemptions

Testing

• Provide testing on campus

COVID-19 Safety Plans

• General Campus Safety Plan 
• Academic Classroom Safety Plan 
• Events on Campus Safety Plan 

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COVID-19 Leadership

• COVID-19 Leadership Team
• Public Health Management Team
• Hybrid Operations Team
• Executive Cabinet and President Mosby

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Follow WA DOH guidance for Higher Education, along with the CDC

Questions?

We are following requirements from the WA DOH for higher education and have implemented recommendations that exceed requirements in several areas.

Key measures:

• Provide comprehensive COVID safety plans for areas (not required) 
• General Campus Safety Plan 
• Academic Classroom Safety Plan 
• Events on Campus Safety Plan 
• Provide a higher-level face mask (not required)
• messaging encouraging wearing a higher-level face mask per new CDC guidance
• providing disposable surgical face masks if needed by employees/students/visitors on campus  
• providing cloth face mask to be worn over disposable surgical face mask if needed by employees/students/visitors on campus  
• providing a KN95 face mask to employees teaching in classrooms or with student/visitor service positions upon request 
• providing a N95 face mask to employees upon request (we were able to get a limited supply of 1000 for this purpose) 
• Note: as always, a higher-level face mask is available for employees with COVID-19 vaccination/or high- risk accommodation

COVID safety exceeds requirements (following recommendations)

• Providing a barrier (not required)
• face shields are available for any employee or student on campus 
• Plexiglass continues to e kept in place in high volume areas 
• Increased work area/classroom safety measures (not required)
• continue to encourage social distancing as possible, including use of additional spaces continuing from fall quarter
• reduced class size (CAP to 24)
• use of larger classrooms when possible 
• Eating/Drinking (changes)
• Following guidance from the WA DOH during periods of high transmission eating/drinking is allowed in specific areas because a face mask must be removed:
• Employees, students and visitors can now remove their face mask in the designated areas of building #8 to eat/drink. This is regardless of vaccination status.
• Employees who have

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• Limiting events (not required)
• no rentals on campus (not required) 
• limiting events on campus and requiring extra safety measures if approved (not required) �
• COVID Case Investigation (not required)
• trained individuals on campus provide faster response than possible by King County Public Health when we have an infectious individual on campus (this is not required but is strongly approved by K.C. Public Health) 
• We continue to message staying home if you think you might have COVID 19 symptoms  
• working with supervisors and faculty to encourage individuals stay off campus if they have COVID symptoms and encouraged to get a COVID test 
• We continue to message social distancing, but it is no longer a requirement  
• 3' distance is not required for a campus that has a high level of vaccination, but we continue to encourage individuals be aware of their social distance and when possible, space apart. Face shields are not required when social distancing cannot be maintained but they are available to any employee or student who would like to wear one. 
• Work areas are not required to move back to closer working conditions. 
• Students can sit by each other, but when space is available, they are encouraged to spread out. (wearing a face mask properly is stressed as important)
• Requirements for employees and students with exemptions 
• Following recommendations by the CDC we are requiring additional safety measures, monitoring, and enforcing. (strong recommendation, Highline College is ahead of many colleges in implementing the measures and having developed ways to monitor) �
• These are some of the things we are doing to provide a high level of COVID safety on campus.  Important I believe to keep in mind. 
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For more information and resources

For more COVID 19 information…

• The COVID safety presentation is an overview only, additional information on COVID-19 safety in the classroom and on campus can be found in the Winter Quarter Academic COVID-19 Safety Plan, located on the college webpage and kept updated as requirements change. COVID-19 Safety Plans » Highline College

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• For questions by email, please email COVID19resonse@highline.edu �
• For website information, visit Highline College COVID-19 information at COVID-19 » Highline College  (“Frequently Asked Questions”, information on Bias and Harassment, Health and Wellness, Leave Options, where to get a vaccination, Highline College COVID-19 Safety Plans and more)
• Public Health Director Highline College: Professor Nicki Bly, nbly@highline.edu �

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• For questions about definitions, current status of COVID-19 in the community, testing and vaccination, please see these websites:
• King County Public Health COVID-19 information and resources for King County, WA - King County
• Washington Department of Health COVID-19 :: Washington State Department of Health
• Center for Disease Control and Prevention Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) | CDC
• John Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center Home - Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center (jhu.edu)

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References

Proclamation 20-12.4 Higher Education by the Governor Amending Proclamations 20-05, 20-

12, et. seq., and 20-25, et. seq. proc_20-12.4.pdf (wa.gov)

Order of the Secretary of Health 20-03.4 Face Coverings-Statewide Amending Order 20-03

Secretary_of_Health_Order_20-03_Statewide_Face_Coverings.pdf (wa.gov)

Proclamation 20-25.14 “Washington Ready” by the Governor Amending Proclamations 20-05

and 20-25, et. Seq. 20-25.15 - COVID-19 Washington Ready.pdf

Proclamation 21.14.1 COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement by the Governor Amending

Proclamations 20-05 and 20-14 21-14.1 - COVID-19 Vax Washington Amendment.pdf

COVID-19 Recommendations for Higher Education: Summer 2021 and the 2021-2022 Academic Year Higher Education Recommendations 2021-2022 (wa.gov) , updated 9/13/21 (DOH 820-195) 

Guidance for Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs), updated 11-4-21.  Guidance for Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) | CDC IHEs should implement a universal screening testing strategy for people who are not fully vaccinated in the context of moderate, substantial, or high community transmission of SARS-CoV-2 at least weekly. 

Determining infectious period: Investigating a COVID-19 Case | CDC

Quarantine and Isolation period: CDC Updates and Shortens Recommended Isolation and Quarantine Period for General Population | CDC Online Newsroom | CDC

Up your mask game: Up your mask game: Omicron is here – PUBLIC HEALTH INSIDER

Proper fitting masks: Improve How Your Mask Protects You | CDC

Do and Don’ts with face masks: Your Guide to Masks | CDC

Pictures/graphics: CDC