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SALEM, OR

Covid-19: Continued Essential Operations

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Institute of Technology – Salem is committed to the state, national, and global efforts to reduce the risk and spread of COVID-19, while appropriately continuing the essential activities of providing students with high-quality, college-level career education.

As of June 30, 2021, under Executive Order 21-15, IOT’s Face Covering Policy and Physical Distancing Policy are terminated and have been replaced with general guidance as outlined in the institutions Salem Campus COVID-19 Plan.

Information on Covid-19 Symptoms, Prevention & Treatments

Institute of Technology – Salem COMMUNICABLE DISEASE MANAGEMENT PLAN Policies and Procedures

I. Purpose: The purpose of this Communicable Disease Management Plan (CDMP) is to provide a coordinated response to safeguard the welfare of Institute of Technology (IOT) students, faculty, staff, and our community from communicable diseases. It pertains to in‐person instruction activities conducted on IOT’s campus.

This CDMP will also serve as a guide, during outbreaks and pandemics, to manage the operations of the college in an effective manner, inform and advise the college community, and establish operating procedures appropriate to all constituents of the college community. This plan has been modeled after the recommendations of the Oregon Health Authority and the Higher Education Coordinating Commission.

II. Scope: The Institute of Technology CDMP shall be implemented for communicable diseases commonly found in the college population and which can be transmitted by air, object, or through casual contact.

Examples of these communicable diseases are:

  1. COVID‐19 (SARS‐CoV‐2 disease)
  2. Chicken Pox (Varicella virus disease)
  3. Measles (Rubeola virus disease)
  4. Meningococcal meningitis
  5. Influenza (novel strains)
  6. Norovirus
  7. Mumps

The scope of this plan shall also include other communicable diseases that pose risks similar to the diseases listed above, and which would put the college community at risk.

III. Requirements:

In the event of a localized or wider outbreak of specific communicable diseases, IOT will undertake its requirements which may include:

  1. Follow Oregon Health Authority’s (OHA) General Guidance for Employers on pandemics.
  2. Encourage students, staff and faculty, and other community members to follow OHA’s latest guidance and Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) latest public guidance on all communicable diseases.
  3. Form a workgroup, under the guidance of the Campus President, to specifically operationalize this communicable disease management plan according to the particular outbreak at hand.
  4. Implement measures to limit the spread of communicable diseases within the campus setting,
    such as appropriate cleaning and disinfecting procedures; monitoring for illness among symptomatic students, staff, and faculty and offer testing location information if warranted; and distribute and use Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), as more fully described in this document.
  5. For students and employees who are at higher risk for severe illness from communicable disease(s) make reasonable accommodations (including remote telework).
  6. Adhering to all CDC and OHA guidelines on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) specific to each communicable disease, and make PPE available to students, faculty, staff with the specific disease guidance.
  7. For IOT events, or other functions that are not addressed in this standards document, follow the relevant OHA guidance for the respective sector.
  8. Work with the Marion County Health Department to ensure it is able to effectively respond to and control outbreaks through the sharing of information when appropriate.

Public Health Principles for Reducing Potential Exposure:
The mainstays of reducing exposures to communicable disease pathogens transmitted by air, object, or through casual contact are:

  1. Physical Distancing – minimizing close contact with other people by maintaining greater than 6ft. of the distance between individuals
  2. Hand Hygiene – frequent handwashing with soap and water or using hand sanitizer
  3. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) – adhering to all CDC and OHA guidelines specific to each communicable disease, and making PPE available to students, faculty, and staff within the specific disease guidance
  4. Environmental Cleaning and Disinfection – especially high‐touch surfaces
  5. Notification Protocols – adhering to all notification protocols as outlined by the CDC, OHA, and Higher Education Coordinating Commission
  6. Isolating those who are sick and quarantining those who have been exposed

IV. Plan and Procedures:
FERPA allows colleges to share personally identifiable information with local public health authorities without consent when needed to respond to a health emergency. IOT will work with the Marion County Health Department (MCHD), and the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) to ensure we are able to effectively respond to and control outbreaks through sharing of information – even without student, faculty, or staff consent – when appropriate. IOT will partner with MCHD, OHA, and the Higher Education Coordinating Commission on an ongoing
basis to review and update this Communicable Disease Management Plan to ensure proper mitigation and prevention protocols are in place to minimize the impact of communicable disease on our campus.

Designation of Employee to Supervise Implementation and Enforcement In times of communicable disease outbreak or pandemic, IOT will designate an employee to be the main point of contact with local public health authorities and to supervise the implementation and enforcement of the college’s CDMP.

As of the last update to this document, IOT Campus President, Kaylee Vickers, will serve as the college’s designated point of contact. (e): kvickers@iot.edu, (p): 503.363.9001.

In cases where Kaylee Vickers cannot be reached, the college’s backup point of contact as of the last update to this document is Sarah Chong, HR Coordinator/Executive Assistant. (e): schong@iot.edu, (p): 503.363.9001.

B. Protocols to Notify Local Public Health Authority (LPHA)
In the event of a localized or wider outbreak of a specific communicable disease, IOT’s Designated Employee (see above) will:

  1. Notify the local public health authorities of any known confirmed cases of communicable disease among IOT students, faculty, or staff, so as to address contact tracing, community notification, cleaning, and possible classroom and/or campus‐wide closure.
  2. Notify the local public health authorities of any known confirmed cases of communicable disease among any other individual who has been on an IOT campus, so as to address contact tracing,
    community notification, cleaning, and possible classroom and/or campus‐wide closure.
  3. Report to the local public health authorities any known cluster of illness (two or more people with similar illness) among faculty, staff, or students.

C. Processes for Record-Keeping to Assist the MCHD as Needed with Contact Tracing
IOT utilizes and maintains computerized, manual, and systems of records that include, but are not limited to, human resources and staff records, student enrollment, and class attendance records, visitor log records, campus directory information, and other records that will be made available, as necessary, to assist MCHD with contact tracing requirements.

D. Entry and Self‐Screening Protocols for Faculty, Staff, and Students
In the event of a localized or wider outbreak of a specific communicable disease, IOT will:

  1. Allow campus spaces to be open only for official college business. Campus spaces will be closed to the general public.
  2. Encourage students, staff, and faculty to perform appropriate hand hygiene upon their arrival to campus every day: washing with soap for 20 seconds or using an alcohol‐based hand sanitizer with 60‐95% alcohol.
  3. Require students, staff, and faculty to conduct a self‐check for pertinent symptoms before coming to campus, and provide students, staff, and faculty with an updated list of said symptoms to check against.
  4. Require students, staff, and faculty participating in an on-campus lab setting to complete a symptom questionnaire.
  5. Instruct students, staff, and faculty to stay at their residence if they have pertinent symptoms of communicable diseases.
  6. Faculty, staff, or students who have chronic or baseline symptoms that have worsened or are not well‐controlled with medication should stay at their place of residence. Those who have other symptoms that are chronic or baseline should not be restricted.
  7. Per OHA and CDC guidance, individuals may require testing (for screening purposes) prior to returning to campus.

E. Plans for Disinfection of Classrooms, Offices, Bathrooms, and Common Areas
In the event of a localized or wider outbreak of a specific communicable disease, IOT will:

  1. Clean and disinfect facilities frequently, generally at least daily when there is an activity, to prevent transmission of the pathogen from surfaces.
  2. Follow the latest CDC guidance on disinfecting public spaces specific to the communicable disease presented.
  3. Employ third‐party services to ensure the cleanliness and disinfection throughout the campus, including common areas.
  4. Make available cleaning and disinfect supplies in each office space, classroom, and common area.
  5. Consider modification or enhancement of building ventilation where feasible. Air circulation and filtration are important factors in reducing airborne viruses. Guidance on ventilation and filtration is provided by the CDC and American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air‐Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).
  6. Allow for open windows/doorways where feasible to reduce the circulation of air and transmission of airborne pathogens.

F. Protocol to Isolate or Quarantine Any Ill or Exposed Person IOT will take steps to ensure that if a student, staff, or faculty member develops or reports primary communicable disease symptoms while on campus:

  1. The person will be directed by their supervisor or instructional staff to immediately return to their place of residence.
  2. The person will be directed to seek medical care and communicable disease testing from their health care provider or through the local public health authority. They should follow instructions from their local public health authority regarding isolation and the time required before leaving their place of residence.
  3. IOT will regularly provide faculty, staff, and students with information on how and where to contact the local public health authorities in Marion County.
  4. Any faculty, staff, and student is known to have been exposed (e.g., by a household member) to a communicable disease within the preceding 14 days should follow instructions from local public health authorities, and/or their health care provider.

G. Instructional Activities
For general education classrooms:

  1. Modify layouts of classrooms and related instructional spaces (hallways, waiting for areas, etc.) to meet published expectations and guidelines for infection control from LPHAs, OHA, CDC, and Higher Education Coordinating Commission.
  2. Use markings and signage to indicate infection‐control requirements as designated by LPHAs, OHA, CDC, and Higher Education Coordinating Commission.

For settings with a higher risk of spread, such as laboratories, computer labs, implement enhanced infection control measures as recommended by LPHAs, OHA, CDC, and Higher Education Coordinating Commission.

  1. For standardized patient simulations or laboratories instruction in close quarters, or in practicing clinical skills with physical contact:
    Provide mandatory instruction on infection control practices and the appropriate use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE);
  2. Require the use of appropriate PPE for all personnel.

For preceptorships, externships, and any offsite health care experience:

  1. Provide mandatory instruction on infection control practices and the appropriate use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE);
  2. Strictly adhere to the clinical facility’s infection control protocols;
  3. Confirm that the clinical facilities have the appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for their students who are involved in direct patient care within those facilities;
  4. Conduct regular symptom monitoring of students;
  5. Follow the facility’s occupational health protocols if exposed and/or symptoms develop, including immediate exclusion from all patient care, testing for the outbreak’s causative pathogen,
    and mandatory reporting to IOT;
  6. Perform cleaning and disinfecting per the facility’s protocols.

H. Faculty and Staff Training
In the event of a localized or wider outbreak of a specific communicable disease, IOT will ensure that faculty and staff are sufficiently training in all pertinent, specific, and current CDC and OHA guidelines.

I. Public Health Communications
IOT will:

  1. Ensure all letters and communication procedures will be provided in formats that are accessible to the school community.
  2. Develop communications to students, faculty, and staff to be shared at the start of on‐campus education and at periodic intervals explaining infection control measures that are being implemented to prevent the spread of disease.
  3. In partnership with local public health authorities, develop protocols for communicating with students, faculty, and staff who have come into close/sustained contact with a person with a communicable disease.
  4. In partnership with local public health authorities, develop protocols for communicating immediately with students, staff, and faculty when the new case(s) of a communicable disease are diagnosed in a community member, including a description of how the institution is responding.
  5. Use building signage and other communications to remind students, staff, faculty, and visitors about the
    utmost importance of hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette.
  6. Provide hand hygiene stations with alcohol‐based hand sanitizer in high use areas as entrances to buildings and classrooms and other areas, as feasible. Strongly encourage students, faculty, staff, and visitors to use hand sanitizer on the entry and exit of each room.