Health and Wellness Guidelines

Health & Wellness Guidelines

December 2020 & January 2021

Health Guidelines for December 2020 & January 2021

Page 2: Upcoming Changes & Travel Guidelines

Strengthening our Community of Care First and foremost, we are grateful for you and the many ways you have upheld our Health and Wellness Guidelines this fall semester. We understand it has been a difficult and challenging season for many different reasons, and we are all fatigued. Yet, we face an alarming rise in transmission rates of COVID-19 in our area and the anticipated increase in cases nationally due to holiday travel. In response, we believe we need to strengthen our campus health guidelines to best provide for the health and safety of our community over these next weeks as many students will travel to and from the Seminary campus. These Guidelines apply to our residential life and to off-site seminary experiences such as Field Education. Thank you for keeping these guidelines as an act of love for your neighbors. We are also planning on widespread COVID-19 testing of our community at the beginning of the spring semester.

The following changes will take place on December 19 and will continue through the week of January 18:

In addition to hand washing and physical distancing, face coverings for ages 3 and above are required on campus (including CRW, Witherspoon, and Roberts/Tennent) at all times when outside of your residence.

No outside visitors, including significant others and non resident family members, are permitted on campus or in campus residences.

Completing a travel quarantine of 10 days is required for all residents who leave their Seminary housing for more than 24-hours, including travel within New Jersey.

Travel Guidelines CDC guidance and local public health guidelines strongly discourage non-essential travel during the upcoming holiday, given the widespread community transmission of COVID-19 across the country. However, we understand that for spiritual and emotional wellbeing, many in our community will travel to spend time with loved ones. We believe this is especially important for those who have been living on their own this semester.

If you are traveling, we ask that you please review the CDC guidelines so that you can make informed decisions about your plans.

If you plan to travel, please complete the travel notification form. Following your travel, all residents are expected to comply with the following guidelines: Before returning to campus

Upon return to campus

For those who are away for an extended period of time, it is expected that students and/or family members will monitor their health for COVID-related symptoms for 10 days prior to returning to campus. It is expected that students and/or family members will refrain from participating in behaviors that would increase the risk of exposure to COVID for 10 days prior to returning to campus.

If any student and/or family members leave their Seminary residence for more than a 24-hour time period during the Christmas break or January term, they will be required to keep a 10-day travel quarantine upon their return to campus. The travel quarantine is required for any destination, including travel within New Jersey or the tri-state area.

Page 3: Travel Guidelines

Health Guidelines for December 2020 & January 2021

Your responsibilities during quarantine The parameters of a Travel Quarantine are as follows: • Students and/or family members will remain in their residence except for getting groceries, going to medical appointments, or to remove trash or recycling.

• During a travel quarantine, students or family members may leave their residence to take a walk or run on their own. There should be no interactions with others. A face covering is required at all times, and it is imperative that crowds are avoided.

Please do not use the canal path, which is widely used by Princeton area residents as well as Seminary residents.

• When leaving a residence during a travel quarantine, it is expected that the individual will wash their hands, wear a face covering, and keep physical distance of 6 feet or more from others at all times.

• It is expected that individuals will not leave their residence for in-person employment or field education. We ask that residents please be mindful of when they may need to return to work on site so that the 10-day quarantine period may be completed.

• Students and/or family members will not welcome other members of the Seminary community into their residence during the 10 days.

• All residents must complete the full 10-day travel quarantine, even if they have a negative COVID test.

• The travel quarantine will end after 10 days if individuals do not experience any symptoms during that time period. If individuals experience any symptoms of COVID-19 during the quarantine period, they should notify the Health and Wellness Team for guidance and support.

Your responsibilities at all times • We expect that you will continue to wear a face covering at all times when outside of your residence, maintain physical distancing, and engage in regular handwashing.

• We strongly recommend that you do not invite other members of the Seminary community into your residence during this time. If you do, please limit indoor gatherings to one or two additional people at a time. Face coverings should be worn at all times, and physical distancing of 6 feet or more should be maintained.

• It is best to gather outside whenever possible. Outdoor gatherings should be limited to ten people or less.

• If you experience any COVID-like symptoms at any time while in residence, please complete the COVID-19 Notification form.

Your responsibilities when quarantining with a roommate • It is the responsibility of the person who has traveled to protect their roommate/s in their residence.

• It is expected that the person who has traveled will spend the majority of their time in their own room.

• They will wear a face covering when in common spaces.

• The person who has traveled should wipe down shared surfaces in kitchens and restrooms prior to and after each use. They should wash all kitchenware immediately after each use. It is best not to share food or serving utensils.

• The person who has traveled should communicate with their roommate/s to be certain there is an agreed upon understanding of the travel quarantine and that everyone feels comfortable.

Page 4: Navigating Winter Break

Health Guidelines for December 2020 & January 2021

Navigating Winter Break Mental Health and Spiritual Wellbeing We remain concerned about your spiritual and mental wellbeing during this time. During Christmas break when the offices are closed, you may still connect for care and support by emailing: Rev. Wanda Sevey Director of Student Counseling

Rev. Jan Ammon Minister of the Chapel

Health Team For any health and safety concerns

wanda.sevey@ptsem.edu

janice.ammon@ptsem.edu

health@ptsem.edu

Please refer to the Fall Health and Wellness Guidelines for protocols for responding to symptoms or a positive diagnosis of COVID-19

Compliance with Seminary health guidelines How to address concerns

Consequences for noncompliance

We hope that these Health and Wellness Guidelines will enable us all to navigate this complex season.

However, if you encounter a situation that raises any concerns for your health and wellness or the health and wellness of others, we ask that you please consider the following:

Please know there will be consequences for disregard of these guidelines which could put many at serious risk. If there is regular or serious disregard:

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Please approach situations with kindness and grace. These are such tough times.

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If you have a concern, please address a person directly if you feel safe doing so. It is always best to approach a conversation speaking out of the “I.” For example, “I would feel more comfortable if you would please cover your nose with your mask.

Thank you.”

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If you do not feel comfortable approaching a person or the person has regularly been out of compliance with the Health and Wellness Guidelines, we are creating a Health and Wellness Concern Form that you may complete and submit. The form will go to Yedea Walker in the Student Life Office for follow up.

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For employees, if you do not feel comfortable approaching a person, please reach out to your supervisor or the Office of Human Resources.

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Please do not call Security for concerns about the Health Guidelines.

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Students will be referred to the Residential Life Task Force, which is chaired by the Dean of Student Life.

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Employees will be referred to the Director of Human Resources.

Serious or regular disregard may result in students being asked to relocate from their seminary residence or employees being placed on leave.

A final note Even with the complexities of this season, we pray that this Christmas will bring you peace and joy. We pray the time off will restore your soul.

We navigate this season together. We are grateful for you and your care for our community.

Anne Stewart & Jan Ammon

Co-Coordinators, Health and Wellness Team