COVID-19 Quarantine and Isolation

 

• Quarantine separates and restricts the movement of people who were exposed to a contagious disease to see if they become sick. Review the 2022 quarantine protocols at Salem State.
• Isolation separates sick people with a contagious disease from people who are not sick. Review the 2022 isolation protocols at Salem State.

Follow quarantine and isolation protocols:

• SSU bases our quarantine and isolation protocols on the public health guidance provided by the MA Department of Public Health. 

• SSU protocols may be more conservative, and include a strict test-based requirement to discontinue isolation. This will apply to higher risk settings on campus, such as returning to the residence halls after testing positive.
• If you test positive for Covid 19, community members will need to isolate off campus. The isolation period can last 10 days, but may be shortened based on symptoms and test results.
  • If you tested off campus, please upload result into CoVerified.
  • Do not return to class or work for at least 5 days and until your symptoms have resolved or significantly improved and you’ve been fever free. If your symptoms persist, please remain isolated for a full 10 days.
  • Those who discontinue isolation prior to 10 days must adhere to CDC and MA DPH guidance, which includes exercising caution around others and distancing and strict masking with a well-fitted mask for the full 10 days.
  • You can consider rapid testing on day 5. If your rapid antigen testing remains positive, please continue isolation through 10 days or consult with our contact tracers.
  • Residential students should expect to isolate for 10 days off campus, unless there are extenuating circumstances. Those who have significant symptom improvement, no symptoms, or no fever and wish to discontinue isolation after day 5, are required to submit a negative antigen test to health services to be cleared to return. This test can be submitted via a health portal message to our contact tracers.
• If you were exposed as a close contact to someone who tested positive during their infectious period, please enter this information into CoVerified and
  • IF you are unvaccinated or are booster eligible but have not been boosted, you should quarantine for at least 5 days. We recommend testing after day 5 and before returning to campus.

    OR

  • IF you are fully vaccinated and boosted, you do not need to quarantine but you should access testing after day 5 and strictly mask for a full 10 days after your exposure. We will need to have your vaccination documentation on record, employees should upload their vaccine documents to CoVerified and students should upload their vaccine documentation to “Medical Clearances” in their student health portal.
• Community members must upload test results into CoVerified, cooperate with contact tracers and follow public health guidance.
• SSU student and employees can call our contact tracers at 978-542-3240, students press 1 and employees press 2. It is important to leave a voicemail if no one answers and you’d like a call back.
• SSU contact tracers will notify other SSU community members of (close contact) exposures if resources allow, but the individual should notify both their SSU and non- SSU community members. Proximate contacts will no longer be notified.
• SSU contact tracers will notify faculty or supervisors via email if an individual needs to be out of class or work for 5 to 10 days. We will no longer provide a clearance email or notification when someone is able to return to campus. 
• Consider enabling MassNotify on your phone, so that you can quickly notify your close contacts anonymously, should the need arise.
• Those experiencing any new symptom(s) should report this in CoVerified and self-isolate until you receive negative test results. Please assume any new cold or flu like symptom could be COVID, until proven otherwise with a negative test result. If you use an at home test and it is negative but your symptoms persist or worsen, please repeat testing and seek confirmatory molecular testing (such as a PCR). Students who seek medical evaluation and treatment can schedule an appointment on their student health portal or follow up with their primary care provider. Employees should consult with their primary care provider.
• Symptomatic students and employees can schedule COVID testing on CoVerified, please follow testing site signage and stay in the area designated for symptomatic individuals only.