Case Containment Team Continues Work to Minimize Exposure to COVID-19 on USU Campuses

As Utah State University begins its first largely in-person semester since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the university’s Case Containment team is diligently at work tracking positive cases and limiting student exposure to help minimize impact on classes and activities.

“We want to be in person as much as we possibly can,” said Ellis Bruch, USU’s director of emergency management. “We do have some parameters in place to where we may move a class temporarily remote, but that is solely to prevent the spread inside that classroom. Our goal is to get you back in that class as quickly as possible.”

To aid in case containment’s efforts, students, faculty and staff are encouraged to follow these steps.

1. Get vaccinated if you’re able.
2. Upload proof of vaccination to the Aggie Health portal.
3. Get tested if you have symptoms of COVID-19.
4. Complete the USU COVID-19 Questionnaire if you have been exposed to a positive case or suspect you might have COVID.
5. Stay home if you do not feel well.
6. Answer the phone when case containment reaches out.
7. Adhere to class seating charts.
8. Wear a mask indoors, especially where social distancing is not possible.

Another tool that will aid case containment is USU’s implementation of a color-coded classroom system. In-person classes will begin in green, or normal, status. If a class member tests positive for COVID-19, case containment will work to identify individuals who have been exposed and may need to quarantine. If the case can be contained, the class will stay in green status. Should the number of cases grow too large for containment, the class will be changed to a red status and move temporarily online. The class may return to in-person status once the instructor has been cleared by case containment, with students who have also been cleared able to return to class.

“Having this classroom protocol is so critical in being able to offer more face-to-face classes for students this year,” said Cindy Gill, USU’s case containment manager. “It is awesome to have so many face-to-face classes back on campus. I know everyone is excited about that. However, we had to put some extra measures in place to make sure we could keep everyone healthy on our campus and contain the spread of COVID-19.”

Numbered stickers have also been added to chairs in every classroom, and students are asked to choose a seat that will be theirs for the entire semester. Adhering to this seating chart will aid case containment in being able to quickly identify individuals who have been exposed to the virus.

“We use this seating chart to determine who was within a six-foot radius of that positive person,” Gill said. “Case containment will reach out to those individuals to determine what next steps need to be taken.”

With the new tool of a vaccine to aid in the prevention of infection, quarantine protocols have also been updated for fall semester. Fully vaccinated individuals are not required to quarantine, although they are still encouraged to monitor their health and to get tested three to five days after exposure and wear a mask indoors for 14 days or until they receive a negative test result. These students will be able to continue in-person in their classes, as long as classes remain in green status. For unvaccinated individuals, case containment will ask questions to determine if quarantine is necessary.

“We don’t automatically quarantine everyone,” Bruch said. “We have conversations with the student to try and identify that they don’t need to quarantine. We are not trying to quarantine everybody. We want to identify those who don’t need to quarantine, so we can focus on those who do need to quarantine.”

Students in quarantine have several options. While the standard quarantine timeline is 14 days, students will be able to leave quarantine after seven days if they do not live in the same home as someone with an active case of COVID and have tested negative. Those who do not wish to get tested or who live with someone who tests positive can leave quarantine after 10 days if they isolate themselves during those 10 days, are not experiencing symptoms and have not had a new exposure to COVID-19. Both groups are still asked to monitor their health for the full 14 days after exposure.

Bruch said each person on campus should hold themselves personally accountable. Although the university no longer has mask mandates or social distancing requirements, students, faculty and staff should use their best judgment and act responsibly.

Resources and guidelines are available for students to review, visiting www.usu.edu/covid-19/if-you-are-sick/case-containment. These include the case containment process, mental health resources, academic support and more. To upload your proof of vaccination, visit https://aggiehealth.usu.edu.