Early Bird

Protocols for reporting known positive COVID-19 cases

Protocols are intended to be clear and concise while maintaining individual privacy as well as community safety.

By Lindsey Coulter

October 12, 2020

The Roadrunners Safe Return Committee continues to welcome feedback and input from the Metropolitan State University of Denver community on maintaining safe operations while honoring the University’s mission.

Committee members have listened to requests for more guidance in reporting positive COVID-19 cases among students, and the team has created the following protocols in collaboration with the Health Center at Auraria. These protocols are intended to be clear and concise while maintaining individual privacy as well as community safety.

Faculty and staff protocol for reporting known positive cases of COVID-19

Faculty or staff members who are informed of an MSU Denver constituent testing POSITIVE for COVID-19 should adhere to the following protocols:

1. Call the Health Center at Auraria at 303-615-9999 to report the positive case of COVID-19 and be prepared to provide the following information:
• Your name
• Your phone number*
• *With limited staff on campus, please provide a phone number (or multiple numbers) where you can be directly reached
• Your status: faculty or staff
• Name of positive individual
• Positive individual’s phone number (most direct number possible)
• Positive individual’s campus ID number
• Whether the positive individual was present in a face-to-face class on campus or whether they were present on campus within a particular department

Faculty note: If a positive individual was present in a face-to-face class, the faculty member should move all face-to-face class sessions to a remote learning format or cancel the classes until the appropriate health investigation determines the next steps.

What happens next?

The information above will be given to the Health Center’s medical director or administrator. The following contacts will then be initiated:

• The reporting faculty or staff member will be called to answer any questions and to outline how the investigation process will unfold.
• The positive individual will then be interviewed using the established Denver Department of Public Health COVID-19 questionnaire and contact list. The positive individual will be informed on how to isolate and when (at the end of their isolation period) to contact the Health Center’s medical director (or designee) to determine if an electronic campus clearance letter can be provided or if isolation needs to be extended.
• The reporting faculty or staff member will be called a second time to inform them of the appropriate health and safety measures to employ, based on the positive individual’s specific responses to the interview questions.
• When the Health Center provides an official campus clearance letter to the positive individual, the reporting faculty or staff member will be copied.

The length of time an investigation takes and the response time to get back to the reporting individual varies, contingent on numerous factors, including the volume of ongoing investigations and responsiveness of all parties. All efforts will be made to make the process as timely as possible. 

Next steps for students who have tested positive for COVID-19

Students who test positive for COVID-19 can get medical and personal support at MSU Denver. In addition to reaching out to the Health Center at Auraria, Student Care Center case managers are available to respond to students’ needs and concerns about housing, employment, class and academic commitments, financials or social and emotional health. Learn more here.

For more information, please contact the Health Center at Auraria or visit the Safe Return to Campus webpage.