MCC Daily Tribune

Return to Campus: Know the Facts

As shared in President Douglas's MCC Daily Tribune article on July 15, 2020, MCC is beginning to restart its on-campus operations. The three guiding principles for this effort are: (1) the health, safety, and well-being of students and employees; (2) the College's core teaching and learning mission; and (3) responsiveness to changing conditions and community needs and expectations.

To ensure consistency with these guiding principles, the College is committed to following the advice and guidance of the Centers for Disease Control (the "CDC"), the New York State Department of Health, and the Monroe County Department of Public Health. As we have learned over the last several months, COVID-19 is highly contagious and can spread quickly if members of the community do not take the steps necessary to protect themselves and others from the disease.

Entering Campus
As the College reopens, we will continue to follow the procedures and protocols established by these government agencies. There will be one entrance at each campus/site for all students, staff and visitors. Health screenings will be conducted with everyone who enters the campus; these screenings will inquire as to whether anyone entering the buildings is experiencing any COVID-like symptoms. Anyone who reports an elevated temperature or other COVID-19 risk factors, such as a persistent cough, will be denied entry. The College will also be launching a digital platform where individuals will be able to screen themselves online prior to arriving at the College. The College will be informed of the results of that screening and will not allow employees who fail to pass the screening to enter the campus. Employees who are sent home will be able to access federal or state COVID leave or their leave banks to cover their absence.

Compliance with the New York State Travel Advisory
All persons entering MCC will also be screened to ensure compliance with Executive Order 205 which requires individuals who have traveled to states who have been identified as having a significant degree of community-wide spread of COVID-19 to quarantine on their return to New York. The list of restricted states changes on a regular basis and is dependent on the results of COVID-19 testing and transmission in the state. Consistent with the Executive Order, MCC requires that all students, faculty, staff, and visitors comply with the 14-day quarantine requirement. Anyone who has traveled from within one of the designated states must quarantine when entering New York for 14 days if the state from which the person traveled was on the list at that time of travel. All employees must notify their supervisors of their travel plans to ensure that all are observing the quarantine requirements.

New York State Guidelines to Reduce the Spread of the Virus
Every individual who is admitted to campus must follow the guidelines established by the State of New York as part of its Reopening plan. These guidelines include the following:

Washing your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially before you eat.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
Keep a distance of at least 6 feet between you and others when possible.
Cover your cough and sneezes with a tissue and discard used tissues in a closed container.
Clean frequently touched surfaces and objects.

If you are sick, please stay home. If you have a fever, stay home for at least 24 hours after the fever is gone without the use of fever-reducing medicines.

Face Covering Requirements
All individuals will wear adequate face coverings when on campus unless alone in an enclosed space or outdoors in an environment where proper social distancing is practiced. Re-usable face shields will be provided to faculty for use in instructional settings. The only exception to the face covering rule is when an individual is seated and consuming food or beverage in designated location, while maintaining social distance.

Face coverings should fit snugly and cover both the nose and the mouth, be changed frequently and laundered when they are soiled or wet, and should not be used as an excuse to avoid other protective measures, such as proper handwashing and social distancing. The liberal use of hand sanitizer is also recommended to protect individuals against the spread of the disease.

Contact Tracing and Positive COVID Tests
If the College becomes aware that a person on campus has tested positive for COVID-19, we will coordinate with the Monroe County Department of Public Health and will follow their guidance regarding notifications.

Contact tracing for students, faculty, staff, or visitors who reside in Monroe County will be conducted by the Monroe County Department of Public Health, with the exception of students in the residence halls. Contact tracing for students residing in our residence halls will be conducted by the College's Health Services Department.

Phased Return
Colleagues will be returning to campus in phases. Offices and staff who are critical to the College's enrollment efforts will be returning in the first phase, as early as next week. Plans for returning to onsite working will be submitted by each department, reviewed by the Executive Policy Group, and implemented in accordance with the guidelines above. Before employees in a specific area return to work, supervisors in those areas will receive training on the proper return to work and the procedures to be followed. Supervisors will also be meeting one on one with their staff members to review the return to work plans and to hear any concerns employees may have.

Because the virus remains a concern, employees who return to work will be provided with cleaning products to use to sanitize their work space throughout the day, access to hand sanitizer and face coverings. Food service will only be available at the Brighton Campus with a call ahead, pay ahead for food made to order; pre-made options will also be available. The College's drinking fountains and the soda fountain in the Marketplace will not be available at this time. At the Downtown Campus, there will be no dining service; the only food and drink available on campus will be in the vending machines. When you are scheduled to return to work, please plan accordingly and bring your own food and beverage.

Manage Your Stress and Anxiety
During these difficult times, it is important to manage your stress and anxiety. New York State has partnered with Headspace, a global leader in mindfulness and meditation, to offer free meditation and mindfulness content for all New Yorkers as a mental health resource for residents coping with the unprecedented health crisis. New Yorkers can access a collection of science-backed, evidence-based guided mediations, along with at home mindful workouts, sleep and kids' content to help address rising stress and anxiety. These materials can be found at www.headspace.com/ny. In addition, employees can obtain assistance during this difficult time from the College's Employee Assistance Program. To access the EAP service via EmployeeConnect, visit www.GuidanceResources.com and enter LFGsupport as the user name and LFGsupport1 as the password or you may call 888-6284824.

Stay Positive and Stay Safe
Just as the move to remote working was difficult and required an adjustment period, the return to campus will require a similar transition period. The College is committed to the safety of all members of our campus community and will continue to follow best practice and vigilance as we navigate this pandemic. Information regarding the return to work plans, the College's safety measures, and policies and procedures will be posted on the College's website. Please check the Return to Campus Guide/Coronavirus Updates web pages and the MCC Daily Tribune regularly to keep apprised of new developments.

We will only be successful if we all work together and engage in safe practices to protect ourselves and others.

Melissa Fingar
Human Resources
07/22/2020